Heretic of Zero
by Elernet
Summary: A Chaos Space Marine is the ultimate definition of fear, hatred, and pure evil. But what if he doesn't live up to those expectations? Will the citizens of another universe even notice the difference? This story follows Glacius, an 'odd' chaos space marine who follows the will of Tzeentch and is cast into the Familiar of Zero universe. Humor, adventure, and CHAOS will ensue!
1. Chapter 1

Howdy folks! A "What-If?" idea popped in my head about a story of a Chaos Space Marine in the universe of Familiar of Zero and it was pretty irresistible. Our main hero (or anti-hero I guess) will have quite the adventure on his hands once he arrives on a planet that has never even heard of Chaos or the Dark Gods. He's got quite the attitude too, so be ready! Please leave feedback if you have any, as this is my first story!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Familiar of Zero, Warhammer 40,000, or anything related or pertaining to those universes.**

**Chapter 1: Meet the Heretic**

"Your failure is the ultimate insult to the changer of ways…" a dark, booming voice echoed throughout the large hall. It was more of a dark cavern, illuminated by light that was etched in colors only from the warp, but the grand scale and architecture of it made it indistinguishable to a great room. The slaves captured in the last raid were still digging in the shadowed corners of it, muttering prayers to the changer of ways and to Chaos as a whole as they pushed their fragile and torn bodies beyond the point of exhaustion to please their new master. However, they were in far better standing then the man at the center of the room.

"My lord! There was nothing we could do! The Space Marines were upon us before we were ready! If-"

"DON'T GIVE ME EXCUSES," the voice instantly silenced the chaos marine in the center of the room. "Excuses are for **cowards**….and **weaklings**! Those undeserving of the vision of Tzeentch! Victory needs no explanation…"

"…and defeat allows for none, yeah...," completed the failed marine in a sarcastic voice. It was a well-known quote from the Imperium, and even under the banner of Chaos it still stood true. It felt as if the eyes of Tzeentch himself were boring down into him, crushing him under a force that would likely kill a normal man. But he still had his willpower, augmentations, strength, and training as a Space Marine, allowing him to survive under the gaze of one as magnificent as the lord of change. He was kneeling before a Chaos Sorcerer of the Thousand Sons, his bowed head sparring him the piercing stare of hatred that his master held for him.

_I left my chapter for this? Frak me…it's the same damn thing on both sides of the fence!_

Glacius was a tactical marine back in the Crimson Fists chapter before he 'messed up' and ended up on the wrong side of the Inquisition. He always had a slight potential as a psyker, barely noticeable to the Imperium, however, the changer of ways sees everything. It took awhile, but Chaos eventually managed to convert him. He was a strange one however, different from other normal and chaos space marines, and it was only a matter of time before his attitude got him in trouble…again.

"Naw but seriously, they-"

"SHUT. UP." the sorcerer screamed at the top of his lungs. The heretics slaving away in the corners could feel the hatred from the sorcerer's words as it hit their eardrums, causing the weakest of them to simply collapse in final death. Those that didn't die were knocked over by the sheer malice carried in his breath.

"I was wrong to take you in. Now I know why the Imperium HATED you so much, why your own brothers held a hatred for you that almost rivals MINE."

"It's the hair isn't it?"

"It's because you don't get results. You are a failure, and now you will see what I do to those who fail me…"

Glacius looked up at the Chaos Sorcerer, who began chanting something in demonic tongue. The sorcerer was quiet at first, but the hateful words were getting louder and louder, and soon they began booming across the entire cavern. The heretics shuddered in fear at the will and power of the sorcerer, whose words were now causing parts of the cavern to collapse. A powerful spell indeed.

_If I hit him now…then maybe…yeah!_

Glacius figured "Why not?" and decided to take a swing at his horrible boss before he vaporized him. Heck, maybe he could bring him down completely and take over this wretched operation. Tzeentch would love that. Change of command is still change after all! Glacius jumped up and dashed forward at top speed, the sorcerer being only a few meters away. The distance began to close rapidly as his chainsword began whirring about, ripping through the air with the desire for fresh blood.

Did I say the spell was powerful? No, it was outright** insane**. As Glacius continued his charge, the ground around him cracked and buckled, shattering across the entire hall. Heretic slaves fell into the dark chasms, their screams silent in the cacophony of the planet's cries. Stalactites fell from the ceiling and crashed around the Chaos Marine, who was bent on the destruction of his master. Nothing would stop him!

"ARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH HHH!" Glacius screamed his battle cry as he leapt over a giant chasm, his superior strength carrying him over the colossal gap. His chainsword was screaming in excitement, the taste of flesh so near.

_This is it! Prepare to go back to the warp you fat sack of-_

A massive bolt of blue lightening arced out of the sorcerer's hands, holding Glacius up in place. The pain was outright horrifying as the lightning dug deep into the chaos marine's body.

"YOU WILL BE BANISHED…..TO A WORLD WHERE YOU HAVE NO POWER….A WORLD, WHERE YOU ARE RULED OVER BY WEAKINGS. YOU WILL BE THE SLAVE…"

"S-Sounds like y-your just sending me back to the Imperium….with their stupid corpse e-emperor and-"

"OF THE WEAK. AND TZEENTCH WILL SEE ALL."

"Yup. Sounds like Terr- EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Glacius exclaimed as he was thrown back faster than a bolter round. As he slammed into the wall, his mind was so focused on what the hell the sorcerer just said that he didn't notice his body being enveloped by a faint green light. Slowly but surely, he faded from existence in the 41st millennium.

* * *

Louise Françoise le Blanc de La Vallière was super anxious for her turn in the summoning ceremony. She talked pretty big about how epic and pretty and powerful and whatever her familiar would be, and she was praying that it would stand up to her boasting. Her main rival, Kirche, summoned a fire-breathing salamander, and she just wanted to one up that at least. Hell, she wanted to prove everyone wrong, how they all mocked her and called her "Louise the Zero" since she had zero successful spells since her time at the Magic Academy.

"Alright then, has everyone had their turn?" Professor Colbert asked all of the students gathered outside.

"No, not quite, Miss Valliere hasn't done it," Kirche exclaimed, a sinister yet playful look on her face as she eyed her opponent. Louise simply stepped forward, staring back at her while preparing to summon her minion. And then came the usual mockery that followed Louise anytime a spell was involved.

"It's just gonna be another explosion, nothing special!"

"I wonder what the zero will summon, hehe!"

"We're all gonna die!"

Kirche continued to taunt Louise, "With all that boasting, your familiar will be even better than this salamander right?" she said as she continued to pet her familiar on the head.

Louise simply stuck with her guns, "Of course!" and then proceeded with the ritual. Unknown to everyone else, she was really worried that her familiar would end up as a weak, fragile creature or worse…._a peasant_…

"My servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe!" she began. Everyone else was a bit surprised, as that was an interesting way to start a spell. But they let her continue, "My divine, beautiful, wise, and powerful servant, heed my call! I wish and usurp from the very bottom of my heart, answer my guidance and APPEAR!"

As she flicked her wand in front of her, everyone held their breath as a green portal appeared before her. Everything seemed normal at first, but then the spell took a turn for the worse. Blue lightening erupted from the sides of the portal, arching across and burning the grass rapidly. The sound was deafening, as though a thousand mouths cried out in pain (I love that DoW quote!) while the wind howled out of the portal. The wind began knocking students and their familiars off their feet while assaulting their ears violently.

"What the hell are you doing Louise!?" Kirche shouted. Hell, even Louise didn't know. This was the most terrifying summoning experience anyone had yet seen. The noise and wind became even louder, stronger, and the lightning was now arcing off of the nearby walls of the academy, splintering stone and showering it upon the frightened students. It seemed as if hell itself was coming out of the portal. Suddenly, everything was bathed in white as the portal exploded and overwhelmed everyone.

The dust and smoke finally settled. Louise was lying on her back, small parts of her cape burning from the brutal spell that left a crater in front of her. She looked up to see Professor Colbert trying to help her up.

"Are you okay?"

"Ugh…yeah…w-wha, what happened?" Louise asked while rubbing her forehead.

"You summoned your familiar, which is…" Colbert's voice trailed off as he glanced into the crater. Louise noticed his expression, which was one of confusion, anxiety, and fear. "Louise…what on earth did you summon?"

Louise stood up, dusting all the dirt off of her as she looked into the crater. And there it was. The figure was huge, easily twice as tall as her and about as wide as she was tall. His entire body was covered in a dense armor that was a dark blue with spikes and chains puncturing out of the shoulders. He looked like he had come from the depths of some eternal war, as his armor was pocketed with craters from bolter rounds, scratches from the claws of demons and xenos, burned from lightning and lasguns, and covered in other marks that only a soldier would be able to identify. His helmet completely covered his head while his eyes glowed a dull, faint red. The most peculiar thing about him was the symbol on his chest: an eight-pointed star with what looked like an eye in the center.

Louise gulped as she stared at the armored being. It was the complete opposite of 'divine and beautiful', but it did look powerful. Very powerful indeed. Hey, that was one plus! Lousie turned to Kirche, who looked completely unfazed as she continued to pet her salamander.

"Mine looks way more powerful than yours!" she exclaimed triumphantly.

"It hasn't even moved Louise…it's just…laying there…." Kirche stated nonchalantly.

"Erp!" Louise squealed. She was right, the armor was just laying there, like it was asleep or something. How dare her new familiar be asleep already!

"Mr. Colbert! How do I make it-"

"Finish the ritual Louise," he stated as he adjusted his glasses.

* * *

Glacius was completely immobile. The spell must have short circuited his armor, and right now it was locked in place. No amount of strength would move it in his current mode. The trip was almost instantaneous for him, as he could tell the scenery had changed. Instead of the malice-filled caverns, he could sense that the air was more…peaceful. The ruin of war had not yet reached this place. Tzeentch would change that, oh yes he would!

Glacius soon began plotting all of the mischievous things he could do to this untouched paradise, from conquering and enslaving all living things to bullying kids in schools. Oh what a magnificent fate the changer of ways had brought him! It was time to-

Oh yeah. He couldn't move.

Suddenly, as if to answer his statement, his armor began powering back up. Sensors began displaying data on his HUD as his vision came back to him. The sun was awfully bright, as clear days such as this were rare in the hive cities. He gave a mental command to dim the brightness to something more normal, but then he looked up and saw something. A little girl was standing over him, staring down at him with a determined look on her face, like she was trying to prove something. She was wearing a fancy looking cloak and had really strange, pink hair.

"Step aside before I-" before Glacius could finish his sentence she knelt down and kissed the ventilator over his mouth. He was about to explode in rage but then he started feeling really warm. Like kinda painful. Ok it hurts now.

"ARRRRGGGGGGHHHH!" He felt like he was being burned alive by the inquisition, but most of the pain was focused on his left hand. It subsided quickly though, and he then stood up, bringing his full height to bear onto the tiny girl.

"What the hell was that!?" Glacius shouted, his voice amplified by the external speakers on his armor. He was one of the newest chaos marines, not completely corrupted with evil and hatred yet, but from his voice alone the students couldn't tell the difference. He sounded like the devil himself. His titanic figure towered over the entire crowd, engulfing all of them within his shadow of darkness. The only one who didn't look frightened was the girl in pink hair standing before him, her hands on her hips.

"I'm Louise Françoise le Blanc de La Vallière, and you are my familiar," she simply stated.

"Your what!?" the chaos marine exclaimed. He had never heard of that before.

"My familiar! You have to do everything I say!" she shouted back at him.

Glacius was silent for a bit as he silently thought to himself.

_YOU WILL BE THE SLAVE…_

The voice of his master echoed through his head. But wait a minute! He wasn't here! Haha!

"BWAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHA!" Glacius broke into a deep laugher, his voice carried by the vox speakers. Who did this girl think she was? As Glacius continued laughing he simply began walking towards the stone wall so he could leave this place.

"I'll be going now!" he shouted triumphantly once his laughter died down. He was about to reach the wall when his body started tensing up for some reason. It became tighter and tighter, and it was almost hard to move. Suddenly, a voice entered his head, daemonic in origin.

_You will serve, treacherous one. The Lord of Change dictates it._

_ Wha!? What the hell? You gotta be kidding me! So clooooooooooooooooooooose!  
_

The chaos marine felt his body starting to move on its own, turning back around towards the gaggle of students. It was as if the daemon itself was controlling his body. Glacius decided it was best just to serve the little girl then let him be controlled by a daemon. He had seen a few of those possessed marines...they weren't too pretty. He began walking on his own back towards her, the will of the daemon backing off as his puppet performed the desired action.

_Gonna have to do something about that daemon..._

Glacius could feel his pride slowly eroding away as he walked back up to the little girl. Man, this was embarrassing! To act like a hotshot only to have a daemon put you down and humiliate you in front of everyone. Oh well, that didn't matter. Once the daemon was gone, Glacius could do whatever.

He.

Wanted.

He kneeled before the little girl, his crouched frame still slightly taller than her.

"Master...your wish is my command," he stated in a sinister voice, smiling behind the dark helmet.

* * *

**To be continued...**

So what do you guys think? Yay or nay? Any feedback will be appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

Merry Christmas fellas! Thank you all for your reviews and further interest in the story. Don't worry, our Servant of Tzeentch won't be a total wimp or pansy! Here's the next chapter for ya!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Familiar of Zero, Warhammer 40,000, or anything related or pertaining to those universes.**

**Chapter 2: Guiche**

"I don't know how to do this!" Glacius exclaimed in surprise. His new master however, didn't seem to care at all.

"Well figure it out!" She yelled back at him. Her clothes were tossed onto to Glacius' armored face, as she expected him to do the laundry for her. No excuses.

"Frakkin-what the hell are you doing?" Glacius suddenly asked in shock. As he managed to get the clothes off of his face, he noticed that Louise was undressing right in front of him nonchalantly, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Undressing so I can go to sleep, duh," was her plain response.

"Ugh, don't do that in front of me..." Glacius muttered as he turned away with the clothes in his hands. This was despicable. He used to be a legendary Astartes, battling across the galaxy with his brothers for the glory of the Imperium. After realizing how corrupt the Imperium was, how afraid it was of knowledge and freedom, he joined the forces of Chaos. It was cool for like the first day, until he got that jerk of a sorcerer for a boss. And now here he was, with a new boss pushing him around like he was some kind of fancy maid. Oh yea, and if he disobeyed then that daemon was sure to show up again. What was this, some kind of sick joke?

_All I gotta do is find that frakkin daemon...then it's just gravy from there! Now, where the heck do I take these?_

The Chaos Marine continued marching around the magic academy aimlessly, mapping out the whole area for future reference for his plans. To everyone else it looked like he was just stumbling around like a buffoon though, not knowing what to do with his master's pink lingerie. The latter was closer to the truth. As Glacius walked down the hall he noticed a blonde haired pretty boy sweet talking some girl who was obviously younger than him. He decided to take note of that, as information and knowledge was always useful. Before he could exit the hallway however, the boy called to him.

"Hey, aren't you that familiar that Louise summoned?" he inquired with a smug look on his face. His voice was annoying, like a whiny Imperial Guard Officer whose only grace was his rich daddy. Glacius turned around, staring into the boy with his red lenses. He wanted to keep this conversation short; he had a daemon to find.

"Yes."

"Well, where are your manners? Passing by nobility without even a word?"

Glacius could feel his blood boiling. What was this 'nobility' crap anyways? His own master dropped that title on him too, saying that it basically made her better than him, a mere 'peasant'.

Peasant.

Glacius hated that word. He wanted to crush it into oblivion, eradicate it to the point only where it was spoken in the furthest depths of the warp. The Imperium had a similar way of classes, and that pissed him off as well. But in this universe, he could do something about it; at least later on for sure. But right now was as good a start as any. He began marching up to the blonde boy, his smug appearance disappearing as the giant was upon him. Guess he made a mistake, eh? Glacius leaned in close for full effect. Intimidation was an easy skill he picked up as a Space Marine, and Chaos only made him better at it.

He began in a low voice, "What is it that makes nobility so...entitled? Please, explain it to me…I'm kinda new here ya know?"

His helmet was right in the blonde haired man's face, the words coming out of the ventilator carrying his breathe with them. The air around the huge man didn't seem right to begin with…everything was just…off. The blonde haired man, Guiche, felt like a critter under the stare of those mechanical eyes. The eye at the center of the giant's chest also seemed to be staring him down, waiting for him to make a move.

"The nobility p-protect this world! It is t-there responsibility as aristocrats to defend the peasants!" he stammered. The young girl next to him had already taken off, but it was no matter. The forces of chaos didn't have any beef with her.

Glacius didn't move an inch. "And you do this by taking away their freedoms? Having them serve you on some artificial pedestal that you all created?"

Before Guiche could respond, Glacius finished the statement for him, "Be careful of where that path leads your society. Before you know it, entire worlds will be burned by your 'nobility' in the name of 'protecting the people'."

Guiche gulped, as Glacius leaned in closer, staring so hard that he thought his own face would melt away into a puddle of gore.

"I've seen it…with my own…two…**eyes**."

The chaos marine finally leaned back, and Guiche released the breath he was holding in the entire time while wiping mass amounts of sweat from his brow. Glacius began walking away, his armored boots thudding across the stone floor. But then, out of nowhere, he turned right back around to face Guiche.

"If you don't mind me asking, what the hell am I supposed to do with these?" Glacius asked in a much more relaxed manner.

"Um, there's a-"

"Actually you take them. I'll be back in an hour. Thanks," and with that he was off to see the rest of the academy.

* * *

**The next day…**

It was a bright, beautiful morning at the magic academy, and Louise was waking up just as the bright sunlight spilled on her from the windows. She was having a wonderful dream, where a mighty knight had come and-

"Here," a dark, mechanized voice announced in her room, interrupting her train of thought by its abruptness. Neatly folded clothes were then tossed upon her, smelling fresh and clean.

"Huh," she said groggily. "Oh the familiar. That peasant knight I summoned."

Glacius clenched his teeth behind his helmet at that word, but he could tell that she was set in her ways completely, so arguing with her about it was of no use. He bit his tongue before continuing.

"Your clothes. Cleaned just like you asked," he completed harshly. Louise got up, still a bit surprised at how the familiar became so…manageable…compared to when he first arrived. When he first arrived into this world, he laughed at her face and proceeded to ditch his master. But then, for some reason, he quickly turned around and came back, and even _kneeled_ before her. She was about to become an even greater laughingstock at the school, but the students were quickly hushed by his return.

The chaos space marine turned around to give her some privacy for changing. She was about to explode in anger about him not even bothering to help dress her, but one look at those massive, spiked gauntlets that her entire head could easily fit into told her it was probably best not to request assistance. Yeah, she would probably have a few cuts at the very least.

"Come. We're going to head to the dining hall," Louise stated. Glacius nodded and followed her.

The chaos marine was waiting outside now, choosing that option instead of the humiliation of eating of the frakkin _floor_. He still had his augmentations, so he could go for a pretty long time without any food and wasn't bothered at all. He soon fell deep into thought, thinking about his current situation and what it would take for him to break free from his master's will. Heck, was it even possible to break her will? Was this all just fate weaved by Tzeentch himself? Or was it simply the punishment from that fat sorcerer?

Regardless, the first step was to find that daemon. It obviously was watching his every move, making sure that he played to its tune. The question was: was the daemon just a minion of the sorcerer who banished him here, making sure that he complied with his sentence? Or was it of a much, much higher power?

His plotting was interrupted as Louise emerged from the dining hall.

"That was unacceptable," she stated angrily.

"What?" Glacius responded in a confused manner while leaning on the wall.

"Arguing with me like that in front of everyone!? Really!? It should be common knowledge that peasants eat on the ground! The table is only for nobility!"

Glacius simply chuckled a bit before answering. "You nobles really aren't that much different from the Imperium are you? Hell, almost worse in some cases…"

"What?" Louise had no idea what he was talking about. The heck was 'The Imperium'?

"Ah, never mind. But I will only bend so far for you master, keep that in mind," Glacius finished slowly.

_And only as long as that daemon draws breathe…_

Louise boiled with anger at how dense this familiar was. How did he not know those things? Ugh…some people…

"What's going on over there?" Glacius asked out of nowhere, changing the subject. The area that held his attention was an open field where the students were playing with their newly summoned familiars. There were many odd creatures that he had never seen before, probably fitting into the proper category of 'warp filth' in his realm.

"The 2nd year students have the day off to get to know their familiars," Louise answered impatiently. She was eying the towering figure, wondering what his past was.

"Ah."

"Well, stop standing there like a buffoon and go get me some tea!" she shouted back, and with that she stormed off.

"Hmph," was all the dark astartes voiced, not really surprised anymore by his master's incoherent rage. She was pretty crazy, but he had been commanded by worse over his 60 years of service, the fat sorcerer probably having been the worst yet. No, the worst was the damned Corpse-Emperor, by far. His levels of tolerance were high enough to last him until he dealt with the daemon. Hopefully…

Glacius took note of all the strange creatures around him as he walked through the crowd of students, most of them edging away from him as he passed by. The thing that struck him as the most odd was how the students were cuddling with the warp filth, like they were _friends_ or something absurd like that. Suddenly, a faint presence was felt on his armor followed by a squeal. He turned around and noticed that apparently he knocked over some poor servant and the cake she was carrying.

"Oh I'm so sorry! P-Please forgive me!" the servant girl stammered as she gathered herself and picked up the cake. Before she could however, his armored gauntlet reached over and picked it up instead.

"Think nothing of it," Glacius spoke plainly. He was slightly relieved to find a normal person amongst all these rich fancypants, but was still annoyed that she missed his massive figure and stumbled right into him. Lack of situational awareness got more people killed than he could care to recall.

"Oh would you happen to be the one that was summoned by Ms. Valliere and became her familiar?" the girl then inquired, trying not to make eye contact with his red lenses.

"Yes, how did you know?" the Chaos Marine responded.

"Oh it's what everyone is talking about! A peasant being summoned as a familiar? That's unheard of! I'm Siesta by the way," she answered. She was slightly less tense as when she first bumped into him, as he looked like he would have ripped off her head without a thought. To think that Miss Valliere could summon this…thing…

"Glacius," his speakers echoed. "Pl-"

"HEY! Are you going to bring me my cake!?" a voice shouted, interrupting him. Glacius turned his head to see who would dare interrupt him…and whoa! The same punk he ran into last night, Guiche! Oh, and was this a different girl he was with now? A small grin formed on his face underneath the armor.

"Oh, right away!" Siesta said as she got up to head over to him. She then felt a huge gauntlet on her shoulder, and turned in surprise to see Glacius holding her back.

"Hehehehe, let me take it to him. Oh…this will be fun..."

"But, I'm supposed to," Siesta pleaded.

"It'll be fine, heh, watch this," the dark marine commanded as he proceeded forward.

The blonde kid was bragging about his mole-thing creature to another girl with strange blonde hair; talking about how he was conversing with it all night, which Glacius knew was a big fat lie. How could he forget about him already? It was a pretty memorable experience ya know.

"Here you go."

"Erp!" Guiche jumped, as the huge being seemed to come up out of nowhere. The girl was obviously terrified as well as she completely fell out of her chair in surprise. Who knew something so big could sneak up on them like that.

"So, what happened to that other girl? The one with the brown cloak?" Glacius inquired mischievously. The blonde girl in front of him suddenly began to clench her fists in anger as she eyed Guiche with hate. Glacius giggled to himself and walked off, his job complete.

"You did what!?"

"Please Montmorency! Understand!"

A huge grin split across Glacius' face. Oh and look, that girl with the brown cloak was right there! Fate was smiling upon him today as he approached her.

"Your boyfriend is over there, he really wants to see you!" Glacius exclaimed in his most friendly voice as possible. The girl gasped and dashed over to him immediately, a big smile on her face. Anticipation built up, as it only took a few more moments before the truth was revealed.

SLAP!

Glacius stifled a laugh as he watched both girls storm off in anger. Guiche wasn't so amused however, as he began to glare at the turned back of Louise's familiar, his face stinging in agony from the dual slap combo from the girls that he had two-timed.

"Humiliate me once…shame on me….humiliate me twice…" Guiche growled. "Shame on **you**!"

Courage began building up in Guiche. He was going to show this peasant familiar just who he was, and the true power of nobility! Yeah! It was definitely a good idea! (*snicker*)

"Peasant!" he called out in anger. A crowd was starting to grow after all the commotion with the girls, and now it looked like some kind of fight was about to break out. Being a bunch of teenagers, fights were always entertaining.

Glacius knew the boy was talking to him, but he decided to not even give him the respect of turning around to face him. He just kept laughing to himself about the whole situation. He especially wanted to see what the aristocrat would do to him for his 'insolence'.

Guiche was further angered by how the lowly familiar didn't even turn around to face him! Heresy! "It seems," he began, "that you don't know how to pay the proper respect to nobles!" Courage and anger were at their maximum in Guiche, building up to the breaking point, and he finally announced what was on his mind, "I hereby challenge you to a DUEL!"

The crowd turned silent as Glacius immediately stopped laughing. Did he hear that right? A duel? C-C-Combat?

Glacius turned around and marched up to Guiche, a hidden, bloodthirsty smile on his face.

"You're on," he hissed in glee.

"Go prepare yourself! I will meet you at the square!" Guiche shouted as he stormed off. Anger was obviously clouding his judgment completely, as no mortal man would ever dare to challenge a traitor marine one-on-one. This world didn't understand the true power of Chaos. But soon they would, as Glacius was about to show them all why even the idea of a traitor marine drove men to the point of insanity in his realm.

* * *

The students were all gathered in a circle around the two, anticipation drooling from them like saliva. Louise tried repeatedly to stop Glacius and Guiche, claiming that her familiar would get torn to a tattered heap, but who knew what would happen? The familiar looked pretty strong and sinister, but the mage could probably take him out from range if he played his cards right. Guiche then made his move.

"I am Guiche the Brass, so naturally your opponent will be a brass golem, or a Valkyrie to be precise!" Guiche exclaimed triumphantly, almost as if he had already won. In his mind, the familiar would die before he even got close to him, and he would once again prove his worth to the young ladies of the academy.

Glacius was standing straight up with his hands at his side, eying the metal creature. He already had a hundred different tactical plans thought of on how to engage it. The only weapon he had on him was his chainsword, but he would only use it if he needed to. His iron fingers should be enough.

The Valkyrie then charged him, its steel fist protruding out to pound the chaos marine's chest in. What happened instead was quite different however, as the Valkyrie's fist shattered upon his armor. The momentum of the brass mechanism continued throwing it forward as its body was pancaked upon Glacius' armor. The Chaos Marine didn't even budge.

The students all gasped. Guiche himself was stunned, his mouth gaping open. He began to panic, and summoned more brass golems. Five, six, ten, twelve, twenty! Twenty Valkyrie's on the field of battle now! Siesta and Louise both stared on in awe and horror, unsure of what would happen next.

All of them began charging at once, this time drawing their swords to slash instead of meeting the same fate as the first one. The first three were now upon him, swords drawn to cut him to ribbons if he allowed it. Glacius highly doubted that their weapons would even make a dent in his armor, but he decided it was better to play it safe. He ducked over the high arcs meant to decapitate him with inhuman agility and tackled the first one to the ground. He then picked it up as if it were a shield and ripped off its sword arm to us as a weapon. If the thing could scream, it probably would as he tossed the body into the nearest one with such force that they both broke apart into pieces of scrap metal.

The students were ecstatic. This was one of the best duels they had seen yet; a familiar against one of their own, and it was so far a pretty decent match. Siesta was silently cheering for the chaos space marine, as he was a peasant like her and actually showed her some decent respect despite his powerful presence. Louise was as well simply because having her familiar dead of its second day wouldn't be very good. At least that's what she told herself.

A Valkyrie grabbed onto Glacius' back, trying to drag him down and hold him in place while ten of them converged on his front. Glacius used his weight to fall back on the machine, crushing it under his weight as he kicked up and decapitated another one with his iron boot. Guiche was summoning even more though, as he wanted to simply swamp him with mass numbers. But Glacies was getting bored with fighting them on even terms. It was time for a change in plans.

_You're gonna zerg me eh? Time for ol'Betsy to put an end to this…_

The scream of grinding metal was deafening to all the students around the fight. Even the Valkyries paused for a second as they tried to analyze what kind of weapon just shredded their brothers apart in less than a second. Guiche himself had turned white, taking in the terror of what was happening before his eyes. Was this real?

Glacius had pulled out his chainsword, and in one arc he cut the numbers of the brass golems in half. His left hand began glowing as well, but no one else could see it under his gauntlet. He already had his training that made him an extremely lethal swordsman, but he felt this new sensation that made him even more agile and fluid. It was as if he was infused with his weapon; they had become one in a deadly dance of some sick kind of love.

Sparks showered upon Guiche's face as the traitor marine grew nearer, metal and sparks flaming about as Glacius slashed the brass golems to pieces. It was probably the most gratuitous display of violence he had ever seen in his life. How could something so big move so fast? Where the hell did he learn how to fight like that?! Just think…what if those were people?! Ugh!

Guiche began to panic even more as life seemed to slow down around him, when suddenly he was snapped back to reality as the wand in his hand was sawed in two. Within a split second he was pinned on the ground, under the red, hateful gaze of the massive, armored being. The chainsword was at his neck as well, whirring in bloodthirsty excitement. Guiche could feel the hate emanating from Louise's familiar, hatred that had been built up for a long, long time. Combat was one of Glacius' very few escapes.

The blade soon died down, its gears grinding to a complete halt. The only noise now was the breathing of the Chaos Marine, as Guiche himself was holding his breathe.

"You lose."

Glacius stood up and dusted himself off. He knew not to boast or bask in glory, as this victory belonged to Tzeentch, despite how pitifully trivial it was. He marched off back towards his room, leaving Guiche, Siesta, Louise, and the rest of the student body stunned in awe. The battle didn't even last 30 seconds.

* * *

**To be continued…**

So what will happen with Glacius next? A few new characters will be introduced in the next chapter…so get ready! All feedback is welcome! See ya next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Edit 1: fixed a few lore inconsistencies.

Edit 2: moar fixes, some issues that were pointed out

Cegorach: Good point, might have to patch that up. I figured that he's not a noble to them since a noble of their world would not be dressed in that manner, nor would Louise summon a noble as a servant.

NoGutsNoGlory: He's got a use for him, hehe, read on!

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Familiar of Zero, Warhammer 40,000, or anything related or pertaining to those universes.**

**Chapter 3: A...Friend!?**

Glacius bolted upright from his resting position, his eyes quickly regaining focus from the lucid sleep. Ah, he was still in this world, but felt a little shaken from the dream he had just witnessed.

It was almost the exact same one he had been having for the past few weeks since he had abandoned his chapter: A massive, bird-like creature erupting from a portal before him. It had blue feathers, wings, and wore a white robe while carrying a staff, and as Glacius looked upon it in his dreams, he felt everything he had known, all concrete ideas, concepts, and constants begin to erode away. It was if his sanity was slowly being devoured by simply the mere presence of the thing. This time in his dream however, it spoke before him. It was in daemonic tongue, so he had no clue what it could be talking about, but the dream always ended the same: with his skin darkening slowly but surely until he was pitch black like the void, all while the daemon stared him down from high above, its eyes completely devoid of emotion.

Was the Changer of Ways sharing his vision with him? Or was some daemon trying to get in his mind? Daemons were treacherous creatures; none of them could be trusted at all. Generally they were to be enslaved or exterminated, no exceptions.

Glacius was sitting upright outside of Louise's chambers, meditating to calm himself down. That recurring dream had kept him awake many times before, but it wasn't out of fear. It was more of trying to decipher the meaning behind it, trying to understand the 'why?' His enhanced hearing suddenly picked up footsteps from down the hallway, and he noticed Guiche approaching him with Louise's folded and clean clothes.

"H-Here you go," Guiche stammered as he handed him the clothes. Ever since the fight, Guiche pretty much became Glacius' b***h, doing all of the menial tasks that he couldn't stand such as washing his master's clothes. Guiche seemed to enjoy handling them however, so it was a win-win situation anyway.

Glacius simply grunted as he accepted them and proceeded into his master's room. She was sleeping in late of course, so he went with the usual ritual of tossing the clothes on her face to awaken her for her classes.

"Hmpfrh!" Louise stifled as her snoring was cut off temporarily.

"Come. You wouldn't want to miss class, eh?" Glacius stated as Lousie awoke. He walked out of the room to await her before she could even yell at him for such a rude awakening. That's not how you were supposed to wake up the nobility!

Louise didn't even bother scolding him anymore. He was so thick-headed that it probably wouldn't even matter what she said, no matter how loud she got. What she did do however, was take away his meals for every smart-ass comment he made about her, which was quite often in fact. Surprisingly he didn't even care though, almost as if he lacked an appetite completely. Louise began to wonder herself what the hell was under that armor, as it was becoming clear that her first assumptions of him were so wrong...

Glacius continued to surprise her even further during her first class about using magic, as her familiar was listening rather intently, more so than herself! What was this guy's deal anyway?

"Fire, earth, water, and wind, combine to make an even stronger affect," The teacher began. She talked further about the structure of the elemental powers and how they were used by mages. Glacius enjoyed knowledge and learning, a trait that got him in trouble with the Imperium to begin with. He was actually kind of starting to like this a little bit, being free of the wretched Imperium and in a world that embraced knowledge.

"Unless I'm mistaken, most of you can only deal with one element at a time, is that correct?" the teacher then asked.

"Pardon me ma'am," Kirche interjected with a sly voice, "but there is a student here who can't even use one element. A student that has a zero percentage-"

WHAM!

Glacius slammed his fist on the desk lightly, bending it inwards slightly and interrupting Kirche's comment. She and the other students tensed up, the memories of that brutal duel still vivid in their long-term memory.

"Some of us…" Glacius began, "are actually trying to listen. So why don't you just SHUT UP!?"

The room fell silent from the chaos marine's sudden outburst. It took a few seconds before the teacher gathered the strength to continue with the lecture, and the class was quiet for the rest of the lecture. Everyone finally realized that Louise had done one thing right: the summoning of a familiar that wouldn't take any of their crap. Louise herself was surprised at how her familiar had stood up for her. Hell, no one would dare insult her now!

However, the truth was that Glacius was far more interested in spells that didn't utilize the warp than he was in his master's honor. That was all just trivial nonsense that people with too much time on their hands worried about, and it was pretty funny at times, but now was neither the time nor place. He continued to listen intently, aware of a few of the girls, including Louise, eyeing him. He could feel their stares, but didn't care enough to think any more of them beyond that.

"Wow, he actually stood up for her?"

"Whoa, that was unexpected."

"I wonder what he looks like under that armor…"

The pitiful babbling of the other classmates was easily picked up by Glacius' hyper-enhanced senses, but it was just useless rabble anyways, so he ignored it. The class was over after about another two hours, but the chaos marine would have to wait for more answers regarding these strange elements of power. Louise was beckoning him over to escort her to the next class.

As the two walked in silence, Louise was the first to speak, "Thanks for standing up for me," she said in a much softer tone than Glacius was used to.

"My pleasure," he lied.

That caught Louise by even more surprise. "Y-you really mean that?"

"Heh, no." Glacius said as he began snickering to himself. Louise tensed up and her rage returned immediately.

"Oh you think you're funny huh!? WELL NO MEALS FOR YOU MISTER!" she shouted in his face.

"Umm...Okay?" Glacius stated sarcastically. He hadn't even eaten since the day he left his world, but if he really needed to eat, he was positive he could find something lying around. He didn't care too much about flavors and whatnot, as long as it was edible and would keep his body moving.

* * *

**Later that night…**

His master had finally fallen asleep, thank Tzeentch. It was time to do a little more exploring, as there was much to be done, such as learning more about the elemental powers, finding a forge and some steel so he could build more weapons, such as a bolter (he field-stripped enough to know how they work), and learning more about the overall world he was in. He would need all of that to face the daemon, hidden away somewhere on the globe.

As he began walking towards the exit, a familiar voice called out to him.

"Um, Mr. Glacius?"

"Hmm?" Glacius turned around to see the servant girl from earlier, Siesta.

Siesta halted and a big smile grew across her face. How the hell could one be so friendly to a member of Chaos? Girl's got guts, that's for sure. Or she was just dumb, that was always a possibility.

"Umm, I wasn't sure if you've had anything to eat, so I brought you leftovers from the dining hall from earlier today," she stated, that silly smile still on her face.

Before Glacius could answer her, his stomach spoke for him. Damn, the leftovers of what those nobles eat? This meal alone was probably going to be the best he had ever had in his whole life. Space Marine food basically tasted like cardboard, but at least it kept you alive. Glacius didn't even want to think of what the minions of Tzeentch put in their food…yuck!

"Thanks," Glacius stated quickly as he accepted the food. He proceeded to head outside to eat, but that little maid was still following him for some reason. The heck did she want anyway?

"Soooo…anything else?" Glacius asked slowly, a little annoyed by her intrusion as he sat down outside, the moonlight bouncing off of his armor.

"Forgive me for asking something so personal, but I'm really curious. Where exactly did you come from? You're obviously not of this world," Siesta said bluntly as she sat down across from him.

"Interesting. You're actually the first person to ask that question…" Glacius stated as his hands reached behind his head to remove his helmet. The metal hissed as it became separated for the first time since arriving in this new world, and it soon fell to the ground, the chaos marine taking in a deep breathe of the unpolluted air.

Siesta's eyes grew wide at the sight of his unobstructed face. His skin was almost entirely pale from wearing the suit for so long, completely devoid of any natural color. It was also marked by a few deep scars that simply would not heal. His hair was short and pitch black, cut in a 'jarhead' style that would have looked professional, but it was obvious he had not taken care of it in the last few days.

The scariest part were his light purple eyes; an extremely unnatural color. It even looked as if there were moving parts inside of them, like the eyes themselves weren't even real to begin with. And where they...changing colors?! They then changed into a light blue, then pink, oscillating around that region of the spectrum. He had a rugged yet young look, and everything combined made him look simply...sinister. The one thing that caught her attention mostly was the strange tattoo on his forehead that looked like some kind of eye with curved points coming out of it. The symbol of Tzeentch.

Siesta managed to catch herself gawking after Glacius addressed it, "So, you wanna hear the story, or you just gonna stare all day?" he asked with impatience. She quickly blushed and tried to cover up.

"O-Oh I'm so sorry! Please tell me!" she stammered, noticing that his voice was a bit different without the helmet. He sounded more natural instead of mechanized, but that aura of hate was still there. What could drive a man to such hatred? Well, she was about to find out.

"The story of me is the story of the Imperium of Man as it exists in the 41st millennium. Hold all questions until the end. Now, not much is known about what came before the 30th millennium, but one event changed everything in our universe: the Horus Heresy. It all started with…"

Glacius explained everything, from the Horus Heresy and the conflicts between humans, Chaos, Orks, Eldar, Tau, and other xeno races across the galaxy up to the point of his last chapter, The Crimson Fists. He talked about the decaying technology, the warp, and the Emperor of Mankind.

He must have been speaking for at least two hours in between nomming his food. He became more animated as his strength returned, and surprisingly to him, Siesta was completely enthralled with his story.

"Wait, so uh, what side are you on exactly?" she finally asked.

"Chaos," Glacius said without skipping a beat, taking pride in his answer.

"Huh? Why is that? I mean, you're a human right? Wouldn't you be with the Emperor of Mankind?"

Glacius chuckled a bit before continuing. "Well, as I said before, the Imperium is against new knowledge. A few weeks ago my brothers and I were clearing out a hive city infested with cultists, and I found something peculiar..."

"What was it?"

"A book. A simple, little, book with knowledge about the warp, information on how to control it to your will. Any normal, subservient space marine would have screamed 'HERESY!' and torn it to shreds immediately. But…I…was curious. So I held on to it."

Glacius' facial expression turned to one of anger as he continued on, staring at the ground with a scowl on his face. "My 'brothers' found it and reported me immediately to the Chaplain as a 'moral threat'. The damn thing was harmless; it could have even helped fight Chaos if used properly. But I guess the Chaplain didn't trust his own Space Marines. The Corpse-Emperor had everyone running scared of knowledge…"

Siesta continued to listen closely, staring at the traitor marine as he continued his story with further interest.

"I was thrown in isolation for a few days, under guard. It was during those days that I could think of everything in detail, and I realized just how corrupt the Imperium was. Keeping its citizens oppressed for their own 'safety', burning them alive for even thinking of not following their predetermined paths blindly and without question. The worst part was, all this suffering and oppression was the result of pure and simple fear. Fear that the population would be free to think on its own."

"The Inquisition came for me, telling me that my sentence was 'death by dismemberment'. I simply said 'no' and broke free of their grasp while en route to their torture ship. I hijacked the shuttle, taking my armor and the book with me. I knew things had to change…which is what led me to Chaos…and Tzeentch."

"Unfortunately, my job was short lived as a Chaos Marine, as I, hehe, kinda pissed off my latest master, a Chaos Sorcerer, and he banished me to this world as a slave."

"So," Glacius finished as he raised his arms up, "here I am."

"Is that why you hate them? The nobles I mean?" Siesta immediately inquired.

"What do you mean?"

"They remind you of the Imperium?"

Glacius closed his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "Yes. I don't understand how you deal with it so well though."

Siesta smiled before answering him. "Well, I consider it an honor to serve the nobility!" Her smile disappeared when she looked back at Glacius however, who was shaking his head in disappointment. He then looked at her with his bionic eyes, twirling around with warp energies.

"You are just a tool to them. Once your usefulness is gone, they will simply discard you. You know that right?"

"Um, well I don't think so but-"

"Siesta!" a voice called to her from across the dark field.

"Oh, pardon me, but I've got to go now. I would like to talk to you more in the future if that's alright?"

Glacius generally didn't like the people of this world that much. Siesta was different however, as she actually had a very open mind. Eh, why not?

"Sure," Glacius stated as he reached for his helmet. As Siesta took off, Glacius gave her a few parting words.

"Oh, Siesta?"

"Yes?" she asked while turning around.

"Don't tell anyone else what I've told you. Knowledge is power…," he said as he lowered his helmet on, activating the external vox speakers.

"…hide it well."

* * *

**Somewhere else…**

The walls of the room were all contorted towards each other, making it seem as if the power centered it in had a gravity of its own that bent them to its will. Faint blue light was providing a beacon in the darkness, just enough to guide the types of beings that would traverse this kind of space. Heavy footsteps then echoed off of the stone halls, amplified throughout the darkness as something entered the area.

Two massive, armored figures were walking through the room that was filled ancient texts. Thousands of them. The armor of the beings was similar to Space Marine armor, or what it was back in the days of the Horus Heresy. Robe-like attachments were across the blue and yellow-striped plating as well, easily indicating their identity. Thousand Sons.

"Lord Hexlend, I have news from the Exalted One," the chaos marine on the left said, his chaos staff held down at his side.

"Is it…from the frontlines? Or…is it a future fate…that we must take note of?" The much larger Chaos Sorcerer asked. Lord Hexlend was a true monstrosity underneath his armor, and his hideous voice reflected that. He had been on the receiving end of Tzeentch's gifts from the Horus Heresy before the rubric was cast, as he was an extremely devout follower of the Changer of Ways, and wanted more than anything to fulfill his role in the final dance. The one that ended with the Imperium broken, and all the other Chaos Gods at the will of his master.

"The Exalted One detected the release of a teleportation spell…"

"And what…does that…have to do…with **us**?" Hexlend spoke in a dark voice as he flipped through one of the ancient texts that was held together by warp magic.

"It transported a follower of Tzeentch…onto the Void World," the sorcerer completed.

Hexlend dropped the ancient book, causing it to break apart beneath him. He stood frozen for a second, revelations running through his chaotic mind.

"Then…" he slowly began, "…the time…has come. The prophecy is dawning upon us once again."

"It has been six thousand years my lord," the other sorcerer replied, barely able to hide his glee. Well, actually, he didn't have emotions, but if he did he would show glee!

Hexlend turned to face him, purple flames burning in his eyes underneath his helmet. "Alkazeri, we shall inform the others. There are preparations to be made so that we will be ready when the time comes."

"I agree lord, I will gather the ones who need to know," Alkazeri stated as he turned to depart the room.

"Be swift brother. All is dust," Hexlend stated as he used his psyker abilities to lift up the tattered book and repair it piece by piece.

"Yes my lord. All is dust."

Hexlend could only do so much from his end however, but he planned to fulfill his step to the utmost of his ability. He could not fail his master, as this would be the opportunity of eons for the forces of Chaos. The 13th Black Crusade and the forces of Man were in a stalemate, and all that was needed to shift the balance was just a small push. However, it was mostly up to that lone Chaos Marine embedded on the Void World to fulfill his destiny, as the fate of the crusade depended on it.

"Tzeentch watch over you," Hexlend muttered in awe of the fate before him and Chaos. A great change was coming, he could feel it…

* * *

**Back at the academy…**

The next day followed a very similar routine. Glacius woke his master up, followed by a day of learning about the non-warp powers, pissed his master off for his own amusement, rinse, and repeat.

However, one thing did strike him as odd. That maid girl, Siesta, was nowhere to be found. Normally he would see her wandering around, carrying out the tasks of the nobles appointed over her, but strangely he had not seen her since last night. Something was up, and Glacius did not like mysteries.

Guiche was walking down the hallway late at night with a different girl this time, bragging about another of his conquests that didn't even matter. "So then, I had Verdande take them out! Not only is he beautiful, but he's an expectional fighter as we-EEEK!" Guiche screamed as an armored gauntlet came out of nowhere and hefted him up. Before he knew it, those same red lenses were staring him in the face.

"W-Wha-What is i-it?" the pretty boy stammered, completely surprised by what just happened.

"I need information. Come," was all the chaos marine stated as he dropped Guiche back down. Glacius then took off to head outside, expecting the young boy to follow him. A look of disbelief was on Guiche's face as he stared at Louise's familiar. Now? He needed him now? He would plead with him, as the young girl he was with was staring into his eyes; eyes that said "Stay with me! I neeeeeeeeeeeeeed you!" Guiche had a brain though, and he listened to it as he followed Glacius outside.

"Ugh, it's windy out here! What do you need to know?" Guiche asked.

"What happened to Siesta?" Glacius demanded.

"Huh? Oh, Count Mott came and took her to be his mistress!"

"Count Mott? Mistress? Explain."

"He's a messenger from the palace who comes by every now and then. Heh, if you think I'm cocky, you haven't seen anything yet, " Guiche stated with a smug look.

Glacius sighed beneath his helmet. "Thanks for the heads up. Now what's this 'mistress' business all about?"

"Well, it's a common thing that nobles do, taking young women to serve as their mistress to-"

"Where is Count Mott?"

Guiche gave him the basic directions, and with that Glacius took off. He had heard enough. He wasn't about to let the only decent person on this campus be taken away to do…unspeakable things. He also had some edging notion in the back of his mind that her fate was not to serve as some aristocrat's sex slave; that is was much, much grander. Plus, she knew his story, and he didn't want that to get out too far.

Louise would probably be pissed off if she found out that he ran off to save a simple peasant. Meh, she was asleep, so technically he wasn't breaking her will. What the master don't know won't hurt her eh?

* * *

**To be continued…**

Hooyah! Fight scene coming! Get ready, for the dark gods will be pleased!


	4. Chapter 4

Kane: Just you wait, heh...

Cegroach: Well I see your point, and I can fix some of those issues, but the main one you're talking about will take some time. I wanted this to be kind of a slightly humorous story as well, so I didn't dig in super deep to the lore, analysis, and didn't make the chaos marine super hardcore either. Sorry to disappoint you man, but thanks for taking the time to inform me to help improve.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Familiar of Zero, Warhammer 40,000, or anything related or pertaining to those universes.**

**Chapter 4: Maim, Kill, Burn**

The run had only taken him maybe 20 minutes at his typical jogging speed, and now a massive manor could be seen at a distance through the brush. The Count left all of his lights on, making it an easy target that could be seen for miles away in the darkness. Obviously, he didn't expect to be attacked, or maybe he thought he was secure inside the gates?

There were bound to be tons of guards patrolling the perimeters for someone as high up as him, a messenger from the palace as Guiche had explained. Glacius activated night vision mode on his helmet, scanning the nearby terrain for patrols that could be a problem. His Auto-senses began picking up the patrols and tagging them as foe through the IFF system. Mages, warriors, and even guard dogs were roving around the perimeter, ready to deter any poor peasant that got too close.

This attack would serve many purposes. Not only would it rescue his friend, but it would strike fear deep into the heart of the country. A place this heavily defended, falling in one night? The messenger of the capital, slaughtered by the hands of something so unholy?

And who knew what was inside? Maybe there was a forge to allow the construction of weapons, or a library with rows and rows of critical knowledge.

However, the best part…would simply be the thrill of killing. Glacius hadn't killed a single living thing since he arrived. Sure, he fought Guiche's brass golems, but that wasn't enough. He needed to hear the true din of a real battle; the sounds of his opponents dying before him, their final prayers to their false gods. Their blood splattered acr-

Whoa. He was starting to sound like those barbaric Khorne Berserkers. Eh, well that wasn't a bad thing really. He was built for war, and as long as he kept his loyalty to the Changer of Ways, a little slaughter here and there would be fine.

His Auto-sense picked up more patrols, and he had at least a dozen groups of four or more tagged before a voice broke his concentration.

"Yo partner! We gonna get em' or what?"

Glacius blinked. Was he really losing his sanity now? According to his enhanced hearing…his freakin **chainsword** said that!

"Wha? What the heck?" he stated as he picked up his chainsword, eyeing it suspiciously. No, he wasn't going insane, as he saw part of the hilt moving as a voice came from the blade.

"What are we waiting for partner? C'mon!" it exclaimed.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down. What are you? Some kind of daemon possessing my weapon? The machine spirit itself!? Explain!" Glacius demanded.

"Well, I'm technically a spirit, my name is Derflinger, and I am the aid of Gandalfr, the weapon of choice!" It exclaimed with pride.

"Who the frak is Gandalfr?" Glacius asked with withering patience.

"You of course."

"What? No! I am Glacius, servant of Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways!" the chaos marine stated angrily. "Who is this Gandalfr? "

"Sigh, let me explain…you-"

"Bah, we don't have time for explanations right now. Now is the time to kill. Just keep it down," Glacius interrupted as we went back to scanning the area.

"Sure thing," Derf stated quietly. He was curious about his new master, who was much different than the original Gandalfr in almost every way, especially in attitude. He would stay quiet and observe his master further.

After another 10 minutes, Glacius was satisfied with his recon. It was time to move in on the manor and begin the assault. The mission parameters he set for himself were pretty simple: Get Siesta out. Kill the Count and takeover the facility. Everyone else was expendable.

* * *

**Inside the Manor…**

"How is the work? Have you gotten used to it?" Count Mott asked in a sly accent, sitting down across from his newest maid, Siesta.

"Yes, for the most part…" was all she said in a soft, defeated voice. She didn't want to be here at all. Her home and her friends were all back at the Academy.

"I see, I see. Well, don't overexert yourself too much," he said as he stood and walked up behind Siesta, placing a rugged hand on her shoulder which made her jump a bit.

"Uh, yes sir…"

"My dear," count Mott began, "I'm sure you must realize by now that I didn't hire you merely to perform household chores…my Siesta…" The Count leaned his head in on her shoulder as he whispered the last phrase, making Siesta feel rather uncomfortable.

"Sir, sir…please…" she pleaded. She wanted to go home. This was not the life for her. She began to pray silently in the back of her mind for someone to come to her rescue; a hero. But if she was thinking of a hero, why did that chaos marine's face pop in her mind?

* * *

**Outer perimeter...**

Johnston was tired of walking. His legs were weakened from the circular march that he had been following all day. A mage was with him, she was kind of cute too, but she didn't talk much, as he had tried to start a conversation repeatedly. Man, these twelve hour shifts were killer! Was Count Mott out of his mind?

Eh, he had no place asking that. He was just a guard after all, and the money was good. He sent most of his payment straight to his wife and kids every time he received a check. God, he missed them so much…the laughter of his daughter and son, the warmth of his lovable wife. He only wished for…

The guard was so deep in thought, so exhausted from the day that he didn't hear the rustling in the bushes above him. By the time he looked up, it was too late as his eyes grew wide in their final moments.

Glacius dropped from the tree and slammed down on one of the guards, crushing him to a bloody pulp underneath his boots. The woman with him, a mage, was too slow to react, as his hand enveloped her tiny frame and squeezed down hard, crushing bones and organs alike. The only noise from the brief skirmish was the sound of her coughing up her guts slowly. Glacius didn't even bother hiding the bodies, as it took up time and he simply didn't care.

_That was too easy…_

Glacius continued his march forward. Another patrol soon awaited him, this one much larger than the last. There were no mages however, so caution needed for dealing with long range attacks was simply tossed out. Glacius smiled beneath his helmet.

The guards were not even patrolling really, just standing around smokin' and jokin' to themselves. Suddenly, heavy footsteps began approaching, and they all instantly went alert, weapons drawn and at the ready. The captain signaled for two of the men to advance forward, quietly, towards the bushes where the footsteps came from. There wasn't much light to go off of other than the lamps that they brought with them. The group watched closely as the two men disappeared from the light as they edged closer to the bush.

And then it began.

The noise was deafening as the chainsword sped up from a halt, the teeth grinding against each other; demanding blood.

"What the hell!?"

"ARRRRRRRGGGHHHHHHLLLLLGGUUP!" the first scream became gurgled as the man's lungs became nothing but tattered meat and blood. The other scout didn't even have time to cry out.

"To arms!" the Captain shouted loud enough for his men to hear him over the weapon that was still screaming for violence. Or so he thought, as no one got up to charge with him. He turned around to repeat the order.

"I SAID, GET UP N-HURP!" The captain was cut off as he felt a horrible, burning pain in his chest and was lifted off the ground. He looked down to see a massive, metallic sword-like thing sticking out of his ribs, the edges of it blurry as they spun about at high speed. That was where the noise originated from, and his final moments would not be in peace as long as it was turned on, wrecking his ears and causing them to bleed out. Eh, it was over for him anyway as he was flung off the blade and into the dirt. His final glimpse of life was of his men cowering away from some kind of war-golem thing, spikes coming off of its shoulders and made of complete steel. Then the lamps that his men carried went out, drowning them in shadows.

Glacius charged forward towards the gaggle that had been blinded without their lamps. The cacophony of battle returned to him: the screams of the dying and the cries of the frightened. It pleased him to no end to hear these songs of war.

His first swing didn't sever the man in half completely; only rip out his guts and leave them splattered on the faces of his friends. He cried out in prayers to his mother as his ruined body collapsed to the ground. Glacius took a second swing, hitting three of them at once. Normally he was used to fighting hardened xenos that would take a few hits to bring down, such as the stubborn Orks. But the men he was up against had armor that was weaker than even the Imperial Guard's, allowing his chainsword to simply cleave right through them with practically no resistance. The extra power that seemed to be centered on his left hand also provided a significant boost.

"Scream for me worms! SCREAM!" Glacius shouted in bloodlust. The men were already obeying his commands as they cowered before him and clutched their wounded. They couldn't see, therefore they couldn't fight.

"W-We SURRENDER!" one of the men cried out.

"SURRENDER IS NOT AN OPTION!" Glacius screamed back, his chainsword sawing the guard down the center. The other guards began to sprint off at top speed, but in the darkness they couldn't see where they were running. The only illumination was from the lights of Count Mott's manor, so those that weren't blinded by the flailing gore ran over there. The heavy footsteps were right behind them.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Captain of another patrol said as a man stumbled into him. "You dare lay hands upon Captain Halervan, noble of…"

"Help MEEEE!" the man screamed as he grabbed on to the Captain's leg, staining the rich material with blood and dark gore.

"Wh-Whha!?" the Captain stammered as he saw the man's ruined face, a section of it looking like it had been cut off with the sharpest blade on the continent. He turned pale, but quickly gulped down the rising bile in his throat. Something was out there that wanted his blood and the Count's, and he had to stop it here or else it would succeed.

More screams from the nearby forest continued to unsettle him and his unit. He had a number of mages though, so he felt like he could take it on.

Glacius was upset. None of these weaklings were worthy challenges for a servant of Tzeentch, as they all just cried and ran.

"Where is the challenge!? ARRGHH!"

Suddenly, as if to answer his question, multiple fireballs erupted from the direction of the manor, and if it wasn't for his superior agility he would have been burned alive. The forest around him wasn't so lucky however, as it burst into flames and the trees themselves began collapsing rapidly. Glacius began sprinting towards the origin of the spells, as more fireballs were flying at him. He had to duck, roll, and jump over many before he reached the clearing were a group of twenty guards awaited him, about five of them wielding wands.

"Surrender or be blasted asunder, enemy of Tristain!" the man in the center shouted, obviously the leader of the group.

Glacius didn't need to say anything. The screaming of his chainsword spoke for him. The men made their own battle cries as they charged at him in rage over their fallen brothers, who were now being cremated in the burning forest.

The first man lost three of his four limbs, and was now just a useless stump on the ground who begged for mercy. Glacius didn't bother with him anymore; the cries were music to his ears. The next man was cleanly decapitated, his head bouncing near the Captain who was shouting orders to the mages. Glacius continued hacking his opponents apart, until he heard a familiar voice yell to him.

"Yo partner! Watch the mages!" Derf yelled above the cacophony of battle. Glacius grabbed a living guard just in time to use as a shield against the combined fire blasts of five mages. The man was seared almost instantly, and the force of the blast nearly knocked Glacius over completely. He tossed the scorched corpse into another man, the impact breaking his brittle bones.

"Thanks!" Glacius shouted. Maybe he could trust Derf after all, but he had to take out the mages first, as they were clearly the biggest threat. The other men were just fodder to try and slow him down. Before the mages could do anything else, the chaos marine was upon them. They were completely shocked at how quick the massive war machine moved, and didn't even have time for final prayers.

Glacius' spun around in a huge 360, cutting down all five mages and a few of the other guards who were following too closely. Glacius turned to see the rest of the group start to break up and run, their will and morale broken before him. But there was nowhere to run, as the flames began consuming the entire forest. There was only one way out: forward to the manor.

* * *

**At the manor…**

Count Mott was ecstatic now. He had forced Siesta to his bed chambers and was plotting all of the things he would do to her…or have her do to him. She was still in that new red and black maid outfit he made her wear, which had a very low cut just for his amusement.

"Sir, I…" Siesta tried to plead.

"Oh, quiet now. We're going to play a little game, yes?" Count Mott whispered in her ear while he grabbed her in certain places.

Siesta wished she had the strength to stand up for herself. The strength to say no to this perverted nobleman who used his rank and power to take her for himself. The strength of someone…like Glacius…

"N-no!" she stammered, frightened about what was about to happen to her body. It would leave her traumatized for sure. She tried to push him off, tried to fight back. But it was to no avail, as he was simply just stronger than her, a simple peasant. She began to cry and turn numb slowly but surely. Her reality was falling apart around her, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

"H-help…" she muttered in a weak voice, praying that anyone, anything, would answer her call.

And it did.

The door burst open as Captain Halervan kicked them apart, blood running down his clothes. He was holding his stomach that was spilling out warm blood on the fancy carpeting of the Count's bedchambers.

"WHAT IS THIS!? WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" Count Mott yelled at the top of his lungs, his face slightly red at being caught in the act. The Captain didn't bat an eyelash or stutter once in his response.

"Sir! We need to evacuate you! Something is coming, and it has slaughtered most of the patrols! Your life is in danger!" he shouted back.

"Could it be…" Siesta muttered to herself.

"Grrr, I'm busy damnit! Can't this wait!?" the count exclaimed.

The Captain stared at him hard. Was he fekkin' crazy? Did he not see all this blood? "Perhaps you should come see for yourself," he said. Count Mott growled in defeat, the Captain obviously wasn't going anywhere. He grabbed Siesta and dragged her with him forcefully as well, making her cry out in pain.

The Count continued following the Captain out to the balcony, keeping a mental note to dock his pay for spilling blood all over the carpet. This was probably just some kind of accident, or some lone thief trying to get in. Hey, there was that thief that he had just reported about to the academy, the one that targeted nobles with magic right? The ideas were running through his head. But the reality was far, far worse. His eyes widened in terror at the sight below him.

The whole. Freakin. Forest. The whole friggin thing was on fire, smoke completely blocking out the moonlit clouds. Even the outer walls were covered in blaze, the stone underneath melting under the sheer heat of magic-induced flames.

"What HAPPENED!?" he screamed at the Captain. Suddenly, a huge crashing sound could be heard, followed by the screams of more men. Count Mott looked down to see what it was at the gate, as that was where the sound came from. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"THAT happened. Sir," The Captain stated. "Now, you need to get out of here, we will buy you time!" and with that he was off to the gate.

Count Mott stared in disbelief at the hulking figure that was walking through the front gate that it simply tore apart with its armored hands. The figure was massive, easily at least 8 feet tall and covered head to toe in plating. It looked like a scene from hell, as the fires blazed directly behind him, casting his titanic shadow across the manor. Burning guards ran out of the conflagration behind him, only to fall over as their critical organs cooked under the temperature. The ones that still had lungs screamed in agony. The ones that still had limbs tried to crawl to safety, their flesh singed off. Broken corpses were in a trail behind the monstrosity; along with missing limbs and piles of gore.

"Captain!" Count Mott yelled as he turned back inside. He had seen enough.

"Yes?" the Captain stated as he turned around to his master's voice.

"Bring back all of the patrols! We will make a stand inside the manor!"

The Captain marched up and grabbed Count Mott by the collar, slamming him against the wall in anger. He had enough of this palace-appointed bs.

"Don't you get it!? All the patrols are DEAD! They either got hacked up or burned ALIVE!" the Captain screamed in his face. He then sighed and released his master, who was surprised by how he dared to shout at him like that. "The house guards are all that is left. I'll bring them to the front," the Captain finished in a soft voice. He turned away and limped towards the stairs to hold off the beast.

Glacius was jogging forward now, the manor only about a hundred meters away now. His Auto-senses were now able to immediately identify a mage and mark them out so he knew who to target first. He wouldn't underestimate them again, as his left shoulder had been scorched by a glancing blow. There was no damage to the armor, but he was sure his skin underneath could use some healing, as it felt raw underneath and hurt a little. (Which probably meant it was reaaaally bad, Space Marines don't feel tiny cuts ya know)

Suddenly, the manor doors burst open and almost thirty guards came out, ten of them wielding wands. Glacius had them locked on and was ready, but before he could engage a new figure emerged from the door. This man was dressed in elaborate clothing, clearly meaning he was no basic guard. It had to be Count Mott. As Glacius zoomed in with his helmet's optics, he could see Siesta being gripped by the man.

"What do you want!?" Count Mott demanded. Glacius could sense the small amount of fear in his voice. He smiled at that, and turned his vox speakers up to maximum volume for full effect.

"YOU!" he roared in his most hateful voice ever with the most volume possible from his massive lungs. The sound waves could be felt by the guards and the manor itself even shook a bit from the volume. It seemed to have the intended effect, as his hearing picked up the sounds of Count Mott crapping his pants.

Before the Count even realized he soiled his designer pants, Glacius was on the move, the chainsword spinning at max power. The mages began readying spells themselves as Count Mott ran back into the manor, dragging Siesta with him.

"Aim….FIRE!" the Captain screamed, his voice weakened by the loss of blood. The mages unleashed a combined force of different elements: fire, earth, water, and wind. Glacius was taken back a bit by the massive spell force about to obliterate him. He was in the open, and there was nowhere to dodge.

"Oh f-"

"Hold me up partner!" Derf yelled to Glacius. Not having many other options, the Chaos Marine obliged.

And was completely surprised. The spells broke around his chainsword, shattering the ground around him with such force that it began to sunder under the powerful effects. Glacius would celebrate the victory later however, as the mages were readying another assault. He sprinted at maximum speed across the open field, the ground still breaking under him like an earthquake.

"Wha? No! NO!" the Captain screamed. "Kill him! STOP HIM!"

But it was too late. The Chaos Marine was upon them now, and the mages lost their focus from the screams of the guards in front of them. Glacius didn't even bother with them, as he continued his charge towards the mages, trampling and crushing the guards in front of him to ruin. The mages wailed and tried desperately to cast weak but quick spells that would stop the marine, but the onslaught continued. These spells ended up damaging fellow guards however, as most of them completely missed and hit the allies, roasting them alive, piercing them with rocks and ice or throwing them off with wind. The spells were too weak against Glacius however, as the few that did hit bounced off his armor.

The entire group didn't last more than a few more seconds as Glacius tore them to shreds. He proceeded inside the manor, which was deathly quiet now since almost everyone was dead. The only sound was the roaring flames outside that were getting closer and closer. He needed to finish this…and **fast**.

He walked around with his sword held up, ready to combat any foes that popped out of nowhere. He then entered a large hall, grandiose statues and paintings on the walls. At the back of it was a stairwell…and behold! There was Count Mott…with Siesta's arm gripped in one hand…and…a staff in the other!? Uh-oh.

Count Mott didn't even bother giving a big monologue to the twisted marine. A creature like that…only one thang' to do…kill on sight! A massive fist made of water rose out from a nearby pot and slammed into Glacius before he could react, knocking him off his feet.

Glacius was stunned for a few seconds, but quickly rose up and dusted himself off, ready for the next assault. This time, thousands of ice shards flew at him at supersonic speeds, all aimed at the purpose of tearing him apart. He used his chainsword to deflect the attacks rapidly, the runes on his left hand burning brightly beneath the blood-stained armor.

Count Mott had both hands on his staff as he summoned more and more ice crystals. As long as the treacherous beast was busy blocking them, he could slowly inch out with Siesta in his grasp.

Wait.

Where the hell was Siesta?

Before he could look around, a sharp pain spiked in his shoulder and he dropped to the ground in pain, blood spurting from the new wound.

"Arggh!" he screamed, looking at his shoulder to see a large kitchen knife jutting out of it. Siesta was standing there, a surprising look of determination on her face.

"Y-You dare strike a noble!? You b***h!" he shouted. He reached for the staff that he had dropped, but was too slow. The time that Siesta had bought Glacius was more than enough though, as he hurled the chainsword at his target with pinpoint precision.

When Count Mott grabbed the staff, he swung it in anger to knock Siesta over before she could cause any more mischief. But before he could turn back around to face the dark one, the chainsword hit him. It didn't cut clean through to Glacius' surprise, but instead carried him across the room and pinned him to the wall, the teeth still roaring as it slowly grinded into his entrails, spilling them across the entire room.

Glacius marched up slowly to the man who let out bloodcurdling cries of pain as the chainsword was still running. He noticed that Siesta had fallen unconscious from being knocked over and hitting her head on a piece of stone. Eh, she probably wouldn't wanna see this anyway.

The chaos marine was now face to face with the Count, who was still letting out cries. He was fading quickly though, as chainsword wounds generally didn't give the maimed much time left. Glacius wanted to draw out his death even further, so he turned the chainsword off, but left it in him so he didn't lose too much blood.

Count Mott was barely conscious. His nerves were bombarding him with signals of pain, telling him that every single organ in his body was failing rapidly. If his eyes were working properly, it meant the steel machine was right in his face; the red lenses glaring straight into his soul. The being suddenly shot out a gauntlet to where his coat pocket was and ripped something out.

"Is this the order for that young girl over there to serve as your 'mistress'?" the being said, hissing the last word vehemently as he gestured towards Siesta.

"Y-Y-ggrgrrlle….y-yes," the noble managed to stammer, blood fountaining from his mouth and spilling all over him.

"Heh, doesn't look like it to me…" the giant said as he tore it apart.

"F-Fu-Fuc-" the Count stammered.

"You're quite a vile one aren't you? Chaos could make good use of your soul," Glacius then said. He had never used a warp spell before; hell, he didn't even know if it would work here. But he had been reading the book that he got from his world every night, and he was pretty sure he could drain the soul of Count Mott into his weapon. What was the worst that could happen? He ripped his sword out of the Count and began.

Glacius spoke words that I wouldn't be able to write out if I tried. Like really. But it seemed to be working so far, as Glacius could see the purple, ethereal energy of the soul flowing from the ruined body and into his blade. The body turned grey and withered while the blood flow stopped and turned into dust. It was soon complete, and Derf further confirmed that.

"Partner, if you could hear the things this guy is saying, oh man!" the chainsword exclaimed. Glacius smiled.

"Hehe, Derf, you proved yourself to be a worthy ally tonight," Glacius stated as he went over to Siesta's unconscious body to retrieve her. He picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder, careful not to puncture her on the spikes.

"Aww thanks. But this place is about to burn down man, I suggest we scram!"

"Good idea. We will hold off discussions for now," the chaos marine stated as he sprinted towards the exit, fire engulfing the manor from above.

* * *

**To be continued…**

Things are starting to get interesting eh? Stay tuned for MOAR!


	5. Chapter 5

Notice: Takin' a break over the weekend. Next chapter will be up on either Monday or Tuesday!

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Familiar of Zero, Warhammer 40,000, or anything related or pertaining to those universes.**

**Chapter 5: A Royal Visitor**

"The Exalted One offers his visions to us," a treacherous man in the center of the command room stated. His skin was sickly grey and had purple tentacles rupturing from completely random spots on his body. Most of it was covered up by his robes however, and their dark-blue color matched the rest of the fluorescent room.

It was obviously a very high tech command center of some sort. Or at least it used to be, until the warp itself enveloped it within its psychic shadow. There were five other high-ranking servants of Chaos in the room, each of them seated behind a primary console like some sort of panel. They all had their eyes on the sorcerer in the center, staring at him with the hunger for information. The man would not disappoint them.

"The Void World is slowly awakening to the presence of the operator, and is in fact dispatching some of its highest ranked members to investigate a murder of some 'nobleman'," the man spat as he held onto his chaos staff that supported his frail body.

"Murder is putting it lightly," a Champion of the Black Legion stated eagerly with a fiery voice. He was the only member of the panel that was not a follower of Tzeentch, but his armies would play a crucial role in the grand scheme. "30 square miles burned to ashes while leaving a body count of over 350 men and women. All inside of an hour. Alkazeri, where the hell did you find this guy?"

"Fate brought him to us, Champion Dignitas" the Thousand Sons sorcerer sitting next to him stated without emotion. "It's as simple as that."

"Damn. The Despoiler would especially be pleased by such a slaughter. Too bad it wasn't in his name."

The frail sorcerer in the center of the room continued on with his report. "Apparently one of these high ranking officials is the 'Princess of Tristain', and she is believed to be a key part to the prophecy."

The room grew silent as the man in the center of the panel gripped the armrests on his throne-like chair even tighter, slightly bending the metal under his strength. He was clearly much bigger than everyone else in the command center, his blue and gold armor more ancient than some of the members in the room. Lord Hexlend finally began speaking with his dark and vile voice. The sound of it alone could crush mere mortals simply from the warp energies contained in it.

"We will wait…and see…what the operative will do…with this…princess…"

* * *

**The Magic Academy...**

Knowledge is power. And Glacius felt immensely more powerful after speaking with Derf and interrogating Count Mott's enslaved soul all night long. When he got back from his raid he dropped Siesta's unconscious body in the medical room for the nurse to take care of in the morning, who was surprised to see the young woman back at the academy once she came back on duty in a few hours.

"And you're saying this Brimir guy is the one who basically saved the world six thousand years ago huh?" Glacius asked the sword. He probably looked like a crazy guy talking to his weapon, but he already had a reputation across the campus, and crazy was a category in that rep. Right now he was sitting outside just before the break of dawn, using a large pot full of water to clean the blood off of his armor that he stripped off. Generally it took the help of tech-priests to get the armor off and on, but he would just have to improvise. He tried in vain to get that damn scorch mark off of his shoulder plate, but it wasn't working out too well.

"Yep. The first void mage. Held back an entire invasion with Gandalfr by his side," Derf stated.

"Interesting…" Glacius muttered.

"Oh, and the Count wants to know what you're going to do with him. He keeps pestering me about it!"

Glacius sighed. "Tell him I haven't decided yet, but he will obviously be serving myself and Chaos until Tzeentch knows when."

Derf was quiet for a minute as he communicated with the spirit trapped in his body with him. "Hmmm…he says you're an A-hole partner, heh."

"Pft, he has no choice," Glacius bluntly said. He gave up on trying to clean the scorch mark off by conventional means. Maybe there was a warp spell somewhere in that book that he could learn about to get rid of it? The chaos marine began putting his plating back on before some student walked out this early for some reason and saw him.

He was now fully dressed and covered once again, all the blood from the battle last night washed off. He kicked over the pot and spilled the blood soaked water into a drainage grating nearby, washing it away into the sewer system. Glacius put Derf at his side as he walked back in to wake up his master for classes. Guiche had already taken care of the laundry and left it outside of Louise's door. Good boy.

But as Glacius entered the room, he had this nagging feeling that someone was watching him; that someone had been watching him ever since he got back last night. He took all the necessary precautions, so why was this feeling there? Oh well, it was probably nothing…maybe the daemon playing mind tricks on him. He still had to find that wretched fiend damnit.

Tabitha, a young blue-haired mage, had in fact seen almost everything. She was already highly suspicious of Louise's familiar, I mean hell, who wouldn't be? But she saw him sneaking in with Siesta's body over his shoulder, his dark blue armor completely covered in blood late at night. He must have had supernatural hearing, as when she slightly bumped into her window while watching him clean his armor from high above, his warped eyes shot straight up at her. She managed to duck in time, but something serious was up, and she was determined to find out what.

Louise was already up and waiting when Glacius opened the door to her room. The heck was this about? She was never up this early.

"Mornin' boss. You're up early," Glacius stated with a little bit of surprise. Louise immediately began questioning him.

"What can you do…that would totally impress everyone here?" she asked out of nowhere.

"Oh I dunno, breaking Guiche's brass golems was pretty cool I thought," he stated sarcastically. Before she could retort he spoke again. "Why do you ask?"

Louise sighed as she sat down on her head, her head held down. "Geez I was so careless, I completely forgot about the exhibition…"

"What exhibition?"

"It's a gathering where the second year students demonstrate the familiars they summoned to everyone at the institute…"

This was what she was stressing over? Really? "Sounds really stupid, maybe you should just skip the whole thing?" Glacius offered with his arms up.

"Second year students are required to attend!" she exclaimed. "…in any case, I just want to avoid any more embarrassment…"

Glacius could care less about his master's status or self-esteem. Unfortunately, if she commanded him…

"Anyway," Louise began as she stood up to exit the room, "we don't have time for this. I want you to think of something that you can do to impress everyone by the time my class is over."

Drat.

* * *

**Outside…**

Glacius was sitting outside in the shadow of the academy, hidden away in a corner from the students on the other side of the campus. Before him was the book full of warp powers, as he was looking for something that would be pretty spectacular. Ah…the opening of a small warp storm. That would give these people something to talk about for sure! The procedure was complicated as heck though.

"Arrrgh, this will take all fekkin' night, cutting into my plans for some-"

"Mr. Glacius? What are you doing down there?"

The chaos marine quickly slammed the book close, as its words alone would probably melt the faces of mere mortals who dared to peer into it. He turned over his shoulder to see Siesta approaching him, her usual maid outfit back on with that dumb smile still on her face. He noticed that she had a bandage covering part of her head where she had hit it last night. Well, at least she was conscious again.

"Just reading," he answered. "You need something?"

"No, just wanted to say hi," She was awfully cheery for what she went through last night, and it was pretty unnatural. Unless…

"Say, how did you get that bandage Siesta?" Glacius asked.

"Oh this? They said I must have fallen down the stairs last night or something, I dunno know…" Suddenly, she saw what Glacius had been looking at. "Hey! Is that the book you were telling me about from the night before?" she asked.

"Yes…"

"Ummm…can I look at it?" she pleaded. She was obviously very interested in anything regarding to Glacius, as he was quite an 'interesting' familiar.

"I don't think that's a good idea, this book is kinda…uh…scary. Yeah," he made up. However, he could see Siesta's face changing to one her saddest yet. Awwwww, how could he say no to that face? She only wanted to learn about the Ruinous Powers!

"Um, but-"

"Weeeeelll," he began slowly, "I could read it for you somewhere else, as long as you don't read the words directly from the text."

"Yea sure! Sounds fun," she said happily. "I'll stop by Louise's room later tonight then! I've got to get back to work now though, see you then!"

"Later," Glacius replied as he nodded at her and then flipped the book back open.

* * *

For the next few hours he poured over the ritual for the spell, muttering the words to himself quietly as he read through it. After a while though, his hearing began to pick up commotion on the other side of the academy. It was quiet at first, but then the rabble increased to rather uncomfortable levels. Glacius finally got annoyed enough to get up and see what all the fuss was about.

He went inside of the main building and up to the top balcony to watch from the windows, and before him was almost the entire student body and faculty, all lined up on the side of the road. He looked further down and saw a convoy of carriages approaching down the road, one of them being decorated lavishly and pulled by white horses.

"What's going on?" Glacius asked his chainsword as he hefted it up in front of him.

"Count Mott says that it's the Princess of Tristain, Lady Henrietta," Derf spoke.

"Princess huh?" the chaos marine said. He remembered the history lesson and political brief that Derf and Count Mott gave him earlier, so if he was correct then she was just the second in the chain of command for the entire nation.

"Why…is she here?" Glacius said slowly in a threatening voice. He didn't like this one bit.

"Apparently to see the exhibition, at least that's what the Count thinks," Derf said.

"Bullsh*t. You honestly think someone that high up would come all the way down here just to see some warp-filth perform magic tricks?"

"Yo that's harsh partner. And yes. This is the top school for magic on the entire globe. And you obviously don't know Princess Henrietta."

Glacius grunted as he looked further down to see the carriage doors open. "Well, we're about to get a good look at her…"

And he was shocked. The Princess looked like a little kid or perhaps a teenager. They had people that young making the decisions for their country? Either she was a hell of a lot smarter than her age showed, or this country would be easy to corrupt with the ways of Tzeentch. More than likely just a figurehead though. One thing Glacius learned over his years of combat experience was that it was always a bad idea to underestimate your opponent, so he went with the first option. His Auto-senses recorded her face and stored it in the IFF database for future reference.

He watched as the crowd grew in exhilaration as she walked forward, a big smile on her face similar to Siesta's. He spotted Louise, Guiche, and many of the other students down there, expressions of joy on their faces. Glacius had seen enough, as he had all the information he needed. Time to get back to studying…

* * *

**Later that night…**

Glacius had the warp storm spell down as much as he needed for now. Regular warp storms were massive, destructive forces that could annihilate whole worlds and last for centuries, but the one he learned only lasted a few seconds and would annihilate anything within a one meter radius. He had to be careful though, as all these warp spells were slowly enhancing his psychic ability, and it wouldn't be long before daemons tried to enter his mind.

Well, could they even access this world? There was a reason this place hadn't been touched by the Imperium yet, but it seemed as if some elements of Chaos had already been here in the past, as the daemon watching him was proof of that. Why weren't there any more of them? So many questions…

He was walking back towards Louise's room where he was planning on meeting Siesta so she could learn from the book. She was just plain weird; no one like her existed back in the Imperium. Well, they weren't fighting nonstop war for the past few millennia either according to Derf, so they actually had time to prosper.

Glacius slowed down as his ears began to pick up the sounds of chatter. He managed to step lightly enough that his armored boots would not be heard as he inched towards the origin of the noise. A regular person would not be able to hear the talking between the stone walls, but Glacius was intrigued mainly because he instantly recognized one of the voices as his master's. It appeared that she had a guest…but who would want to see Louise the Zero this late at night?

"Oh stop all the formalities Louise Francoise, you don't have to do that stuff with me! We've been friends since we were little girls, haven't we?" he heard the unknown voice exclaim.

What. She had friends?! Who would be friends with Louise the Zero? She certainly had enemies, but for someone to be friends with a girl with that kind of attitude, oh man. She had to be extremely forgiving, or they must have a bond that even Tzeentch would have trouble breaking. Who was this benevolent person? Louise's reply then answered that question.

"Princess, those kind words are much more than I deserve," Louise stated humbly.

"GAGH!" Glacius choked in shock. He was still far enough away that they probably didn't hear him eavesdropping, but that wasn't the problem. Louise and the princess!? What kind of coincidence was that? That his master happened to be buddy-buddy with the next in line for the throne? No it wasn't coincidence…just mere and simple fate that was weaved by the Changer of Ways. This was planned, it had to be.

His own plan formulated into his mind; the chain he would climb to total victory. Protect the master and keep her happy, and she would be more friendly and acceptable of you. Being a friend of the master meant her friends, including the princess, would accept you. And once you had the princess on your side…all it took was a little manipulation…and the whole country would be yours, bringing you one step closer to total control. Also, he would likely have even more freedom, so he could deal with that daemon, despite how quiet it had been lately. Glacius threw out that thought as he continued listening, hoping for more critical knowledge.

"Oh I've wanted to see you for so long," the princess said.

"Princess, you're crying!"

Ok…things were getting kind of weird…

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry; it's just that I've been so lonely. I really haven't had anyone to open my heart to since father passed away."

Bah, this was just emotional rabble of two friends catching up. The only useful intel he got was that the king was gone, meaning the Queen was currently in charge now. Too bad he already knew that thanks to Count Mott. He was about to turn and leave, but his ear caught more.

"There's also something else…"

"Huh?" Louise said exactly what Glacius was thinking.

"A great tragedy happened nearby, and a number of royal investigators came with me to find out what happened," the princess stated solemnly. She continued on, "You know Count Mott? Well…his whole mansion and a large area of the forest burned down last night…"

"What!? You're kidding!" Louise exclaimed.

"I wish I was, but it's true. Count Mott and his entire staff are missing too. It's believed that they were…" Henrietta's voice trailed off to the point where Glacius couldn't pick up anymore.

"Princess, did they find out who did it?"

"We…don't even know if it was a true attack. Most likely an accident with magic of some sort, but that's why the investigators are here. If it was an attack, who would do such a thing? My biggest fear…is that a war could break out…"

Glacius had heard enough. So they found the ruins, but the fire must have turned everything to ash so that there was absolutely no way they could trace it back to him. Good. He was sure that there might be a few loose ends, such as Siesta, but her memory was gone anyway so it didn't matter.

Speaking of Siesta, where was she anyway? She should have been here by now. Glacius didn't feel like waiting around though, so he just decided to do his own thing. Meh, she was probably on extra duty since the princess was visiting and the exhibition was tomorrow. The chaos marine took off to his usual spot outside to read through the book and learn some new skills.

* * *

**Back at Louise's room…**

"Well let's talk something not as serious Louise," the Princess of Tristain stated with a smile. "Where's your familiar? I haven't seen it yet!"

Louise sighed a bit. "Ah… well, he does what is required and then generally takes off to go do whatever…"

"Hmm," the princess muttered while looking at her old friend. "It seems like maybe you two haven't really connected yet?"

"I've tried! He keeps making fun of me though, so I've had to discipline him!"

The princess giggled at that. "Oh Louise, you've always had such a strong determination and presence. Maybe it's just a bit overbearing you know?"

Louise looked down before continuing on, "Maybe…a familiar is supposed to be its master's companion and aid them whenever they need it…"

"Haha, don't worry Louise! Just relax a bit and I'm sure things will work out between you guys. By the way, what kind of familiar did you summon? Like a fairy? Or maybe a dragon?" the princess exclaimed with excitement. Louise instantly tensed up.

"Uh…heh…heh…he's uh…different…"

"Hmm? How so?"

"Well…just wait till' tomorrow. You gotta see it to believe it…"

* * *

**The next day…**

"We will now begin the presentation of this year's new crop of familiars!" Professor Colbert announced. The crowd of students went wild, and the show began in earnest. It was a wild show, with fire breathing salamanders, dancing frogs, mole-things, and dragons! The princess had her own private booth and was ecstatic with the whole play, but she really couldn't wait to see what her friend Louise had in store for her.

"Next up is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière!" Colbert proclaimed. Louise and her familiar were hidden away on the side of the stage, Glacius towering over his tiny master. Louise was wondering the whole time about what the princess had said last night, about how she should be nicer to her familiar to help their bond. She watched in envy as other students had cute little animals and fluffy things, and she had…this. She finally spoke up.

"Hey, don't disappoint me now, okay?" she said in a tone that wasn't demeaning or insulting. It was more like she was _asking_.

Glacius raised an eyebrow at that before answering. "It'll be fine," he stated plainly, probably the biggest understatement of the year. He marched forward with his armored boots thudding, Louise following close behind as they entered the spotlight in front of all the students.

The princess knew something was up to begin with when Professor Colbert announced Louise's name, as the whole crowd grew quiet. This familiar must be quite different indeed as he already had a reputation across the campus. Heavy footsteps shook her private booth as something huge walked onto the stage, the wood creaking as it threatened to break. And then she saw it.

The familiar was a colossal man covered head to toe in armor. His plating was painted a dark blue with spikes coming out of the shoulders, giving off an extremely sinister look. As he centered himself on the stage she could see what looked like an eight-pointed star with an eye in the center over his chestpiece. His helmet was the same color as the rest of the armor, with his lenses giving off a dull, red glow. She was completely breathless, especially seeing how her friend looked like a pitiful child next to him.

"Allow me to introduce him…" she began. "This is my familiar, his name is Glacius, and his type is…" her voice trailed off as she tried to think of what category something like him would fit in. She glanced over and saw the princess who was staring in awe. Her friend summoned that?

"Chaos," Glacius finished for her, his voice voxed loud enough to carry across the campus.

"Step back," he then commanded. The crowd was already unsettled to begin with just from the sight of him, but they became even more restless when they saw his hand go for the chainsword.

Oh dear Brimir, could Louise even control this guy? One of the students in the front row fainted immediately.

Suddenly, Glacius screamed a string of strange words as he thrust his sword up, the words burning the ears of everyone who heard them. But then something strange happened.

The sword looked like it was going straight up, but the air around it became statically charged with purple lightning. Reality itself began to bend around the weapon as it broke through the realm of realspace, rupturing the barrier that held back the mass of psychic energy contained in the Immaterium. The disturbance from the atmosphere being affected by the gateway sounded like a sonic boom that went off right in everyone's face, but the absolute worst part was what their eyes recorded.

Colors that had never been seen before nor existed flashed from the opening, causing the students in the front row to collapse as their brains were overloaded with information that made no sense. The air around the weapon twisted with psychic energy in the form of blue and purple electricity that screamed and howled across the small rift. The students who weren't absolutely horrified by the glimpse into hell were gawking in sheer awe. This was a spectacle that had never even been heard of, and they were getting to witness it firsthand.

The whole thing was over in about three seconds. Glacius slowly brought the weapon down and holstered it back onto his hip, his job complete as he turned to his master.

"I don't think anyone will make fun of you," he said as he strode off of the stage. Louise had no idea what the hell just happened, as all she heard was white noise from being so close. Her eyes saw enough though, and it wasn't just the sight that shocked her, but the feeling. She felt raw emotion slamming into her during the whole demonstration, tingling her skin and leaving her nervous system in complete disarray. She stumbled off the stage behind her familiar and finally passed out away from the audience's eyes. Everyone was in complete silence, including the princess.

"That was the coolest f-ing thing I've ever seen!" a fat kid with an owl as his familiar yelled out, breaking the silence at last. The students began to snap out of it and join him, a couple of them tending to their fallen peers.

"What kind of magic was that?!"

"Louise's familiar is the man!"

"Woooooooo!"

The princess herself was not sure whether to be awed or terrified by what she had just seen. It was cool, sure, but what exactly was it? She rose from her seat to depart the booth.

"Where are you going ma'am?" one of the guards with her asked.

"I need to find Louise. Excuse me."

* * *

**Other side of the school…**

Glacius had Louise over his shoulder as he was walking back towards her room. She was completely knocked out from the warp storm, her brain probably trying to make sense of what just happened. The only reason he was bringing her back up was that he had to be nicer to his master, get on her good side, and then the plan would begin. However, Glacius' scheming would have to wait, as something was right around the corner. And it was **huge**.

The creature was made of solid stone, its body so large that it blocked out the sun completely from where he was standing. If it stretched its arms upwards it would probably be able to touch the cockpit of a Warhound- Class Titan.

"Your luck has just run out!" a voice exclaimed from high above. The stone giant threw an open palm straight at Glacius, who dodged to the side. He placed Louise on the ground as he turned back to face the golem, rage leaking from his visor and onto the golem.

"Luck doesn't exist. Only the fates that are determined for us," Glacius hissed in anger as he drew his chainsword. The chainsword began powering up as Glacius stared his opponent down, the massive creature moaning with pure hatred.

With a battle cry for Tzeentch, he charged.

* * *

**To be continued…**

How will a Chaos Marine stand up against a creature made of rocks? Stay tuned and find out next time!

Note: That first scene was inspired by Metalocalypse! Hexlend the Half-Man! Reading the last chapter while listening to Dethklok is pretty entertaining too, lawl


	6. Chapter 6

Kane: Nah, she doesn't have a grudge, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Regarding the Eldar and elves, I have a few ideas running in my head, but haven't planned out anything concrete yet. Oh and the book? That will be revealed eventually…hehe…

Guest: I put one in there just for you, Thanks for the idea! :)

Lost Guy: I'm sure you'll enjoy the rest of the story then, as All is Dust!

* * *

Edit 1: fixed an issue with space marine anatomy. Thanks for the heads up HighZealot

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Familiar of Zero, Warhammer 40,000, or anything related or pertaining to those universes.**

**Chapter 6: A Fair Fight…Kinda**

Fouquet the Sculptor had her eyes set on the 'Staff of Destruction' for quite some time now, and it was extremely frustrating to know that it was locked away in the very building that she worked in as her alternate persona: Miss Longueville. Her opportunity seemed to come at last though, as the guards that were normally stationed around the vault were pulled off to provide additional security for the visiting princess.

Unfortunately, her frustration returned as she ran out of time trying to break through the magic barrier surrounding the door, and she was forced to revert to her Plan B, which was a lot more…forceful…to say the least.

However, even the titanic golem she summoned couldn't even seem to break through the fortress wall as it slammed its stone fist straight into it repeatedly, her anger rising rapidly as nothing seemed to work out in her favor. She seemed to finally snap when suddenly a figure appeared and caught her in the act of robbery. That was the last straw.

It was that familiar that everyone was talking about, the one Louise had summoned. She had heard rumors of his power and how he bested one of the best student mages in the school, as word got around through the faculty rather quickly. But looking upon him from so high up, he seemed like just a small insect waiting to be crushed under the stone foot of her golem; stomped into nothing but dust. She was going to take out all her frustration and rage on that poor, lowly, familiar.

"Kill him," she commanded with little emotion. The beast obeyed.

Glacius had narrowly avoided the first swing of its palm as it tried to crush him, jumping off to the side with Louise still on him. His master was now tucked away from the fight and he was in a full sprint straight at the monstrosity, his chainsword powered up and awaiting the order to bring death upon his enemies. It never let him down before, and he was positive he could cut through the rocks with ease. Maybe a little too overconfident perhaps?

He was forced to jump and roll forward as the foot of the golem came down from above, leaving an impact crater in the area he was just in. He spun around quickly before the golem could raise its foot back up and he leaped upwards to grab onto the side of its lower leg, his chainsword providing a stable anchor inside the beast. The creature didn't utter a single noise, as pain was a completely foreign concept to it. There was only the satisfaction of its master that had to be fulfilled, nothing more. Plus rocks don't have feelings. Duh.

"Errgh!" Glacius grunted in irritation as the golem began shaking its leg wildly to throw him off. This just pissed off the chaos marine even further, as he used his free hand to punch straight through the rock and grip the inside to provide more support. If it wasn't for his Lyman's Ear implant, then he would be hopelessly dizzy and probably fall off only to be crushed to a puddle of gore. A normal human would not have survived for this long. It seemed as if the insane shaking would never end until the world itself was sundered, but he couldn't just stay immobile, as the creature would soon come up with another way to throw him off and kill him violently. Time was not on his side, and he had to keep moving upwards.

"Damnit..." the thief hissed. This was bad. Fouquet didn't have time for a fight, as she just assumed the familiar would be crushed and that would be the end of it. But he was putting up a struggle, and time was running out. It would only be a matter of moments before backup arrived, as this was getting kinda noisy.

* * *

**Nearby...**

Princess Henrietta was worried. Louise wasn't anywhere to be found around the stage, but after asking around, one of the guards told her that Louise's familiar was bringing her back to her room after she had apparently fallen unconscious. She was a little relieved, but that feeling ended quickly as a huge crashing sound was heard around on the other side of the campus; right where Louise's quarters were located. She took off without hesitation, as any loyal friend would do for a companion in potential danger.

"Princess! Wait!" one the guards shouted as they chased after her.

"Something's wrong! Follow me!" she shouted back, her command presence coming to life. She may have been young and kind, but when quick action needed to be taken, she knew what to do.

The other students were in disarray from the frightening noise, but they were still curious about what was going on, as a number of them followed the royal party in a gaggle. Among them were Guiche, Kirche, and the rest of the usual gang. Except for Tabitha…where was she?

As Henrietta rounded the corner, her eyes grew in shock as the battle unfolded before her. She could see the colossal golem flailing its body around and slamming into the academy, like it was trying desperately to get something off of it. As it twisted around for a full view, she could then see Louise's familiar attached on the hip of it, his sword and fist embedded into the stone body. The man was slowly climbing his way up, his own massive body dwarfed by the golem's immense presence. She surveyed the rest of the area rapidly and spotted Louise's unconscious body off in a corner away from the combat.

Henrietta rushed over to her friend, adrenaline rushing through her body as the students who had been following began shouting and screaming at the giant before them.

"Louise! Louise!" Henrietta cried as she tried to wake up her friend in vain. Another crashing noise interrupted her as broken pebbles from the stone rained down from high above, cutting her face and exquisite clothes. They didn't bother her at all though, as her unconscious friend was the number one thing on her mind. Suddenly, the sun itself seemed to darken as something blocked it out above her. She looked up in surprise, and the sight before her prompted a scream.

* * *

Fouquet's golem managed to grab the dark astartes and slam him into the wall at full speed, causing the arm of the golem itself to shatter in the impact. It was no matter though, as she used her magic to quickly rebuild it. The time to run was now…but what's this? Was that…the princess down there!? She knew that in the master plan, having the princess gone would only make things easier later. This opportunity was too damn good to pass up, and she gave the golem a command that would change the future of Tristain forever.

Glacius was pretty bruised, but that was only what it felt like. He probably had broken something at the bare minimum from the impact, as he was now on the ground and buried in stone. It didn't take too much effort to push all of it off thanks to his enhanced strength, and he dusted himself off, readying the next strike. Wait, where the hell was that golem going? Oh no…

The golem had its foot raised over the area that he had placed Louise in, readying itself to smash his master. To make matters worse, the princess was over there too! Damnit, they couldn't die here, he needed them! If the princess was killed, then what kind of person would take over? Probably someone not so nice and open-minded. With that thought being his only motivation, he sprinted faster than he had ever done before in his entire combat career. This stupid pile of rocks wasn't going to ruin his plans and the destiny laid before him, hell no.

* * *

"G-Goodbye Louise..." the princess muttered. She knew there was no way she could drag her friend out in time, so her fate was sealed.

Henrietta closed her eyes as she held on tight to her dearest friend, tears streaming down her face as her life flashed before her. It pained her that she would never be able to see her loved ones again, but if there was anyone she wanted by her side at death, it would be Louise. At least she could be thankful for that.

But death had other plans, and he didn't waste his time on those two.

Henrietta opened her eyes at the sound of something grunting in a dark, mechanical voice. She realized that she had not yet departed this world, and when she turned around with Louise in her arms, a noble sight awaited her; Louise's familiar, Glacius, was literally holding back the entire strength of the golem with just two hands. Before she had time to analyze the situation further however, he screamed a command through his helmet's vox.

"G-GET…M-MOVING! GO!"

"Y-you're..."

"Don't worry, I got you ma'am," a new voice announced.

A big guard managed to get to them while Glacius was holding back the strength of the titan and scooped up both the princess and her childhood friend. Henrietta stared over his shoulder in awe at the armored man who had just saved her and her friend's lives.

Crk! Glacius felt something break inside of him from holding back Tzeentch knows how many tons of rock. He was a chaos space marine and had ridiculous amounts of augmented strength behind his muscles and armor, but everyone had their limits. Apparently the weight of the stone golem's foot was his, and he felt his feet slipping behind him slowly. If this kept up he was bound to end up in a body bag, and his struggle for life couldn't be won by conventional power. Craack! There went another important part! There was only one solution. Glacius began muttering dark words to himself as he called upon the twisted warp to aid him once more…

The students who had followed the princess and her guards were in for quite the show, as their opinions of Louise's familiar were already higher after seeing him at the exhibition. But now, they had just witnessed him save the life of not only one of their fellow peers, but of one of the leaders of their great country.

The show was only just beginning however, as Glacius was now holding back the strength of the massive creature with his own two hands, the weight of it threatening to end his life. This was the most unreal thing any of them had ever seen. They never doubted his physical strength before...but wow...

The traitor marine's body was slowly enveloped with blue and purple lightning, the warp coming to life around him once again. It rapidly grew in intensity with his voxed voice that was screaming with hate. One of his hands came off of the stone and twisted around with dark purple energy, the sound unbearable as it rippled through the air. Suddenly, three bolts of purple energy burst out of his hand with rapid speed, twirling upwards and then roaring back down towards the golem's leg. They slammed into it with such impact that the majority of the lower half of the stone monster was vaporized into a massive explosion of purple warp energy, a few bits and pieces of the golem showering the crowd. Without any support, the beast fell to the ground, the shockwave knocking nearly everyone off of their feet.

"WHAAAAAT!?" Fouquet was frightened by what she had just seen. What kind of magic was that familiar using that managed to do that!? She was coughing up dust from the collapse of her golem, but she didn't have time to sit and ponder about the familiar. She quickly rebuilt the golem's legs in order to make her escape, but she was still too slow. She stared in disbelief as the familiar was sprinting across the torso of the golem, the edges of his serrated sword spinning with a god-awful sound.

"Get up! NOW!" she commanded frantically. The golem obeyed as it rose and Glacius nearly fell off completely before he anchored himself into the thing's stomach with his weapon, the ground moving rapidly beneath him as the stone slave marched off of the campus and away from the mass of students and guards.

It was a damn good thing Glacius didn't meet up with Siesta last night; otherwise he wouldn't have known how to use the 'Doombolt' spell. He could feel his insides screaming in agony, but he had to push on. This damn thing would come back if he didn't kill it now, and next time it would have new tricks and even more information on how to end his existence. Glacius gritted his teeth as he continued to climb upwards towards the top of the behemoth, each push more painful than the last. The eyes of the chaos marine were fixed on the hooded woman standing on the creature's shoulder, as she was obviously in command of the beast. His entire mind, body, and soul was now bent on murdering her, and he would not rest until she was nothing but a broken corpse before him.

Fouquet was trying to do too many things at once. First of all, she was panicking more than she had ever been in her whole life. Her attention rotated between the guards that were now chasing after her, the freakin' familiar that was climbing up after her, and her plans on how she was going to deal with all of this. Every time she glanced down the familiar seemed to be getting closer to her, and she could clearly make out those hateful red lenses that were locked onto her. She couldn't stop to have the golem throw him off though, as then the guards would catch up to her. No, she needed a new solution, and would just have to improvise.

She screamed a string of curses at the familiar as she lifted rocks out of the golem with her magic and tossed them down at the armored man with alarmingly powerful force. He tried to dodge them by rolling out of the way, and succeeded for the most part, but many of them slammed down straight on his face, causing him to pause for maybe a second, but then he would just keep climbing up. Damnit! What the hell was he anyway!? Just one of those hits would kill any normal knight instantly.

Glacius probably couldn't have been any angrier in his entire life than he was now. Some freakin mage, out of nowhere, tries to kill him for no reason. He goes to fight her, and then she tries to ruin his plans by killing the princess and his master! Now here he was, having boulders dropped onto his face. He was seething with so much hatred and rage that the realspace around him threatened to rip apart simply from his psychic emotions. It was bubbling in anticipation, small bits of warped lightning crackling here and then across his armor.

"Just...you wait...till I get up there..." he gritted through his bloody mouth, warp energy fuming out of it. It seemed like an eternity, but he finally reached the shoulder and pulled himself up.

Before him was the hooded mage, her mouth hung open in disbelief at what she was seeing. It looked like she wanted to plead, wanted to beg for her life, but Glacius heard nothing other than the roar of his chainsword. It felt what he felt and wanted what he wanted; to see this wretched mage suffer for daring to interfere with his plans. Her death would be a slow one, that's for sure. Blood dripped from his mouth as a sick grin split across his face, masked by the dark helmet that hid all emotion.

"You're mine..." he hissed in a threatening tone as he began his march towards the fiend.

The thief had never seen Louise's familiar up this close before. Her whole body was quaking in sheer horror, as there was nowhere to run or hide. She tried to move, tried to scream, but her body would simply not listen to her pleading demands. The armored fiend grew larger as he continued his approach, that devil weapon of his screaming in ecstasy for her blood. Her body finally came under her control once again, and she slowly began to back up; careful not to fall off to her death.

"S-Stay back!" the thief managed to shout with determination that didn't actually exist. The familiar merely continued his march.

As she continued backing up, she used spells to raise stone walls between her and the approaching chaos marine, but the chainsword cut them down with ease as if they didn't even exist to begin with. Fouquet was now at the very edge of the titan, her balance being challenged considerably by the moving stone. One look downwards was all she needed to cause her body to quake, but then she looked forward again.

The chaos marine was now upon her, the eye on the center of his chest staring straight into her face from only a foot away. All she could see now was the black, eight-pointed star on his chest, but as she slowly looked up, she was blinded by the red lenses on his helmet which were now bright with bloodlust.

No! This wasn't where she would die! Before the thing could say a word or make another movement, she summoned a stone spike right between its legs, knocking it over completely. She then jumped down, a stone stairwell erupting from the side of the creature before her so she could hop down safely. Once she hit the forest, she cast another spell that would detonate her golem into the biggest frag grenade ever in about ten seconds. Except the fragments would be thousands of stone splinters the size of person's head, and no one within the blast radius would live long. She ran as fast as she could into the surrounding forest.

"So you're gonna run huh? Well that's no fun..."

Glacius was back on his feet now and saw the mage sprinting off to escape him. He jumped off the side of the golem and plunged his chainsword into the side of it, using it as somewhat of a brake to slow down his descent until he hit the dirt. He had to turn the blade off though, as it was cutting through too easily and he needed resistance.

Once the chaos warrior was on the deck, he immediately took off after her, ignoring the cries from his battered body as pure rage carried him forward. What happened next caught him by complete surprise.

He felt his body lift up from a massive blast wave, carrying him through the air and slamming him into the forest floor. He remained prone though, as he could feel the disturbance in the air as hundreds of stone spikes passed overhead, shredding through the trees and cutting down the plant and animal life in them. The guards who had been following close by were not so lucky however, as they were all at least severely wounded, nailed to the ground by the giant spikes in agony. None of them would make it at the end of the day.

Fouquet herself managed to survive because she had known what was coming and took cover in a nearby ditch, the whole catastrophe passing over her head. The thief was sure that nothing could survive that, as she surveyed the crater left behind and all the destruction caused.

"Hmph. So much for that guy!" she exclaimed triumphantly. She permitted herself a wicked smile, and then proceeded to continue running on. But her journey was soon at an end.

She tripped over as her feet became frozen blocks of ice, slamming her pretty face into the dark dirt. Fouquet looked up to see a small, blue-haired mage standing in front of her with a massive dragon behind her. She recognized the student immediately.

"T-Tabitha!?" the thief shouted.

"Hm? So you know me. You must have worked in the school then," Tabitha answered without much emotion.

Fouquet tried to cast a spell, but her wand hand was frozen in place the moment her mouth opened. Suddenly, she could hear heavy footsteps approaching quickly from behind, shaking the earth itself in their rush. Could it be…no! Nothing could have survived that blast!

"Your friend is almost here," Tabitha then stated as she turned around. "I'll let you two have your private time."

"Wha!? NO! WAIT! HE'LL KILL ME!" Fouquet screeched, but it was to no avail, as the young mage was already flying off back towards the academy. She heard herself whimpering as the footsteps slowed down and grew in volume.

"I won't kill you," a voice stated from behind her. It sounded heavy and machine-like, but the one thing she could easily pick out was the malice felt from it.

"R-really?" she stammered, tears forming in her eyes.

"No. I'll just make you wish you were dead."

They said the screams of the legendary thief could be heard from as far away as the academy in her last moments. And they were right, as a number of students would not be able to sleep for a while after listening to the horrible cries that echoed throughout the forest over the next few hours…

* * *

**Later that day, back at the academy…**

Louise was finally coming back to consciousness, her eyes slowly taking in the world around her. She was back in her room, lying in her bed, but she soon realized that she was not alone. Before Louise could jump at the intrusion, the person sitting on her bead next to her turned around and embraced.

"Oh Louise! Thank god!" Henrietta cried as she hugged her friend as tightly as possible.

"Oh, p-princess!?" Louise stammered.

"I thought I would lose you. I'm so relieved!"

When the princess finally released her grip, Louise asked the first question. "What…what happened? I remember being on the stage, then my familiar did some strange…spell? And now I'm here? How long has it been?"

"Only a few hours," the princess began. "When you passed out, your familiar was on his way carrying you back to the dorm when he caught that infamous thief, Fouquet the Sculptor, in the middle of trying to steal something from the academy."

The princess then looked down, her eyes filled with emotion. Louise then took notice of all the cuts on her face and saw how dirty her clothes had gotten.

"A terrible battle broke out, and a lot of my guards were wounded…I'm not sure…how many will make it…"

"Princess!"

"I-I…" Henrietta stammered as she looked at Louise with tear filled eyes. "I almost lost you! But…your familiar…he saved us…"

Louise's eyes grew a little wide at that. "Huh?"

"Yes. He saved both of our lives and managed to stop the stone golem from getting away," the princess stated. Louise had no idea what to make of this, as she had completely misjudged the armored familiar. She suddenly caught herself wondering if there was a real human being underneath all of that steel after all, but then pushed those thoughts aside immediately, her defensive attitude coming back into play.

"W-Well that's what I would expect of a familiar! He is supposed to protect me!" she exclaimed as she crossed her arms over her chest. The princess merely giggled before response.

"Oh Louise, I'm so glad to have you back. Say, where is your familiar anyway? I still want to meet him."

Louise was just about to ask herself that very question.

* * *

**Outside…**

Glacius' armor was caked in blood and dirt from the brutal fight earlier today. The blood wasn't his though, as he bled on the inside of his suit since it was never pierced. The sun was down now and most of the students were inside, so it was time to wash the armor clean and patch himself up, as his suit confirmed that the solid bone mass that replaced his ribs was cracked and he had a fractured shoulder. All of his organs were still in the green though, protected by the heavy muscles and bone. The bones would be healed quickly, so he wasn't worried about that in the slightest bit.

But what he was really curious about was why a thief would go through so much trouble to break into the school, especially while the princess was here? He then hefted his sword up as he walked back into the school courtyard.

"Derf, ask Miss Fouquet what she was after during her little 'raid'," Glacius demanded. The sword was quiet for a few moments as it communicated with her enslaved soul before answering.

"Something called 'The Staff of Destruction' partner," Derf stated. Glacius smiled a little bit. This sounded like a nice deal.

"Heh, now I'm a little curious. It seems we're going to have to pay a visit to this little vault…" the chaos marine stated with an evil smile underneath his helmet. This day just got better and better, didn't it?

"Shouldn't you take a rest partner? You're pretty banged up!"

Glacius smiled before answering. "Plenty of time to rest when I'm dead Derf..."

* * *

**To be continued…**

What could this staff be I wonder?! And what could possibly happen next? Find out next time!

Note: Just a heads up, I'm going off of the anime for the storyline (dubs for the 1st season), not the manga as I haven't read it, so some things might be missing or different if you're going off of that.


	7. Chapter 7

**Happy New Year!**

Attention Dudes and Dudettes: my semester is about to start back up, so I won't be able to update as often as usual. Once it actually picks up the only guarantee I can make is a chapter a month, but I'll try to get more out for ya'll. Don't worry, this story won't die, I've planned out way too much and frankly it will be awesomesauce. If you got any questions, just pm meh.

* * *

Techpriest of Tzeentch: Now that you point it out...I don't really have a good answer for that lol.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Familiar of Zero, Warhammer 40,000, or anything related or pertaining to those universes.**

**Chapter 7: Ladies Man**

"Fouquet is wondering how the hell you plan on breaking in to the vault yourself. And you know, it probably would have been easier to let her take the staff, and then just nab it from her later," Derf exclaimed while attached to the chaos space marine's hip.

"I didn't know she was going after a 'Staff of Destruction', and who said anything about breaking in? I'm just going to ask nicely..." Glacius replied as he marched across the courtyard towards the center building. He had seen the power wielded by the mages on this world, so he was more intrigued by this superior weapon than he would have been had he just arrived. He pushed open the doors and began the long climb to the top of the tower, straight up to the Headmaster's office. Glacius was a pretty charming fella, convincing the old man shouldn't be too difficult. He didn't even care that his armor was covered in blood and stone anymore, as it was no mystery where he had been.

* * *

**Inside the Headmaster's Office…**

"He has to be related to it somewhat, I know what I saw!" Headmaster Osmond exclaimed from behind his desk.

"Maybe, but that creates even further questions regarding-" Professor Colbert was interrupted as the office door swung open quickly, causing him to turn around him surprise.

Old Osmond raised an eyebrow at the figure that just entered his office. "Well…speak of the devil…"

Glacius could barely fit through the doorway, the top of his helmet grazing it just slightly as he walked in.

"Ah, gentlemen, I have a request I would like to make," the chaos marine stated proudly, pumping his chest out like he was some sort of Imperial Guard officer. Truth was he was just in a surprisingly good mood. Colbert was a little taken back by this unexpected tone, as Glacius was completely covered in dirt and blood and always looked ready to wage war. He turned back to Osmond with a confused look on his face.

"Depends on the request, Savior of Tristain," Old Osmond replied happily as he leaned back in his chair, smoking his pipe.

"Savior…of Tristain?" Glacius asked slowly.

"Well, that's the nickname you got that's been going around the campus. If you had not stepped in and saved the princess like that, then our whole country would be in mourning right now. We wouldn't possibly be able to bear the death of another royal family member, especially so soon," Osmond stated. He didn't seem bothered at all by the marks of battle covering the armor of the giant.

Colbert turned back to Glacius, still a little uneasy but proud nonetheless. "You're story of the battle against that golem has gotten around rather quickly, and everyone who has heard it considers you a hero."

Well…this was unexpected. The chaos marine, a prominent figure of death and destruction, the herald of doom, was being considered a champion. Almost like he never followed the ways of Tzeentch in the first place, but stayed with his chapter. He began thinking to himself.

_Hmm…weeeeeeell I guess that's good news…I don't think we're at that phase yet, but hopefully it will only make things easier…_

Glacius' helmet managed to hide his surprise as he responded. "Heh, what do you expect of a loyal familiar?" he said as he raised his shoulders up.

"Now," Old Osmond began again, "what is this request that you seek? I'm willing to bend far for the savior of her highness and one of my students. Just don't ask me to go into battle with you!"

Glacius liked this old guy. He was surprisingly cool and easy to work with, unlike some of the nobles who were completely full of themselves, like Mott, Louise, Guiche, and others. The princess was pretty laid back as well, maybe not all of these nobles deserved to rot after all? When Chaos took the land, the ones he liked could join him on the path of change with the great Tzeentch, and the others could have their guts rotted out by that psycho Nurgle for all he cared. Ugh, that guy was a real prick; every time Tzeentch was about to change something for the better, Nurgle would show up and just ruin everything…literally.

"All I want is to see what exactly the thief wanted, what prompted her to try and rob this place while the princess was here," the chaos marine stated genuinely.

Osmond thought for a little bit before giving his response. "Eh, I don't see why not. Come."

Well that was easy. Almost too easy. Glacius started to think that something was up and he upped his guard, preparing himself for whatever could happen as he walked with Colbert and Osmond over to the vault.

* * *

"Oh just so you know," Colbert began while they were approaching the large door guarding the vault, "you won the contest at the exhibition."

"Heh, then the master shall be pleased. Come to think of it, has she regained consciousness yet?" Glacius asked.

"I believe so. The princess was with her the last time we saw her. Also, what happened to that thief? We saw the golem fall, but did you catch her?" Osmond asked.

"Ah..." Glacius began as he placed one of his gauntlets on his chainsword. "She won't be bothering anyone again." Colbert gulped as he had a few ideas of what that meant.

"Interesting. Ah, here we are. Let me just open this really quick…"

The headmaster chanted a few words, and with the flick of his wand the gigantic wooden door began to slowly open before him. Magical lights in the vault began flaring up, illuminating the stone room. And there it was: the Staff of Destruction. Oh man, Fouquet must have been pissed right now, and Glacius giggled to himself at the thought of her trapped soul screaming in hatred, but the quiet laughter immediately stopped when his eyes got a better look at this 'staff'.

Glacius slowly walked into the room and grabbed the proper grips on it. The thing was heavy, but it was expected to be. He looked over it in awe, knowing exactly what it was.

Osmond nodded slowly. "I had a feeling you would know what this is. I found it on someone who was somewhat similar in appearance and stature to you a very long time ago. That's why I brought you down here."

There was no doubt now that Chaos had been here; or at least someone from his world.

"Gentlemen..." the chaos marine began as he held the weapon up. "…this is no mere staff."

Osmond and Colbert both had their eyes on Louise's familiar, eager to hear more.

"It's called a Lascannon…and it is a powerful weapon of choice back where I come from. Now I must ask you…how did your country get their hands on this?"

Osmond popped his pipe into his mouth as he looked over at Colbert, who nodded in approval. Tonight was going to be very interesting indeed…

* * *

**Later…**

"So you're saying this weapon killed that dragon-thing or whatever?"

"Yes, it was the brightest light I had ever seen, and the blue beam bored a hole straight through the creature that was about to end my life," Osmond replied.

The three were all back in Osmond's office, Glacius holding on to the lascannon that had been maintained poorly. From his judgment, it had been used back in the days before the Horus Heresy, probably during the Great Crusade mostly.

"It was then that I turned around and saw something that looked very similar to you in appearance…but…"

Glacius leaned in closer, beckoning the headmaster to continue with his story. Perhaps this information could lead him to the daemon? Or even more weapons?

"He was horribly wounded, with multiple bloody holes with scorch marks around them…"

_Lasguns…probably fought against Imperial Guard…_

"And his armor, despite being the same color as yours, was far more...ah...decorated. He had many skulls and spikes covering most it along with two massive horns coming off of his helmet, but he had those same red lenses that you do. He also had some sort of strange disease or something like that, as his skin that was exposed from a missing gauntlet was sickly grey with sores and small…tentacles…coming out of it."

Thoughts were running through his head rapidly, thousands of questions popping up, one after another in rapid succession. He needed more information.

"Did this man ever say anything? A name perhaps? Any other markings on his armor?" Glacius questioned quickly, his thirst for knowledge consuming him completely.

"I went over to the dying man to get a better look at him, as he had completely collapsed after he fired the weapon. I was shocked at how frightening and alien he looked up close, but regardless he saved my life, so I then asked him for his name…"

"And what was his response?" the chaos marine inquired.

"I'll never forget it," the headmaster said, lowering his head. "All he said was 'I am Alpharius' and then he…died," Osmond finished solemnly.

Glacius felt like he had just been kicked in the face by an Ork Warboss. Alpha Legion had been here. Chaos had been here, and only a mere thirty years ago! So many questions burned into Glacius' mind as he tried to sort them out into something coherent. What was an Alpha Legionnaire doing here? Did he also get banished for some reason too? Were there Imperial Guardsmen here as well? Arrrrrrrrggggghhhhhhhh!

Colbert was also listening intently, but he was smoking a pipe as well, as he needed something to help ease the knowledge into him. Glacius' helmet couldn't hide the fact that he had a million thoughts running through his head, but Colbert didn't blame him. It was obvious to the professor that this familiar didn't originate from this world, despite the fact that many students, including Louise, refused to believe that. They probably thought differently after today though.

Glacius got his mind back under control. None of those questions really mattered right now, despite how his natural hunger for knowledge was begging desperately to know more. He needed to focus on merely what he could control. Right now, he had a huge lascannon in his hands, and it could prove to be very valuable in future conflicts. And not just the weapon itself, but the technology packed in it.

"Interesting…" the chaos marine muttered. "Was he carrying any gear on him? More weapons of some sort?"

Osmond set the pipe down before continuing on. "Why yes, he had all kinds of strange equipment and items on him. Once I got others to help me carry all of the gear, it was all locked away in the palace vault, with the exception of your 'lascannon' which was brought here. There were a few parts that looked like they went with it, and those are here too."

Ammo probably. Awesome. He would need to schedule of a visit of the palace now as well. Glacius turned to Professor Colbert, another question running through his mind.

"Professor Colbert, is there any way you could, ah, reverse engineer this weapon along with the ammo? Like create a smaller version of it, or create even more ammunition? You can keep whatever you learn from it of course."

Colbert adjusted his glasses before answering, excitement running through him. He was a scientist after all, and learning about the technology behind this powerful beam weapon was way too tempting to pass up. "Of course! But I must ask…"

"Yes?"

"What do you plan to do with all these weapons? Your sword and sorcery seem like more than enough to protect Louise."

"Don't you think that's pretty obvious?" Old Osmond stated. "It's clear that he's on our side though, so I see no issues with that."

"Well then, it's not a problem. I may need your help with some things though…"

"Sure, I wasn't a tech-priest back in my world, so I don't know much about these weapons, but I'll do what I can," the chaos marine stated.

Osmond then looked back at Glacius with a new question and keen interest in his eyes. "Speaking of your world, can you explain it to us? Where did you come from, and what exactly are you?"

The chaos marine stretched out a little. "Ehh, it's a pretty long story…it only spans like 40,000 years…"

"Bah, we will discuss this later then. An old man needs his rest you know," Osmond stated with a wave of his hand.

"Heh, and I gotta clean this crap off my suit. I'll help you bring the lascannon to your lab, professor."

* * *

**Later that night, outside…**

Glacius didn't realize how banged up he was until he got the chestpiece of his armor off, as he could see massive amounts of bruising directly under his skin; and it took **a lot** to bruise a space marine.

"That's pretty bad partner, you sure you don't wanna get that looked at?" Derf asked, his body leaning up against the stone wall while his master was stripping off the armor to clean it once again.

"It'll heal. Patience my friend, patience pleases Tzeentch…"

"And who's this 'Tzeentch' guy you keep referring to?" Derf retorted.

Glacius glared back at his chainsword as he was about to go on a monologue of how great the Changer of Ways was, how he was more than just some 'guy', but his hearing suddenly picked up footsteps. They were very faint, but they grew louder and louder as someone approached from the distance. Dangit, who was up this late?

The chaos marine's entire upper armor had been removed and was in the large pot that he had used last time to clean off his armor, with the exception of his helmet that he had cleaned first before removing the other pieces. He wasn't worried about being caught of course, as staying up a little late was hardly an offense at all. He was worried about someone seeing the huge and nasty bruises across his chest, because if word got around that he was soft and fleshy on the inside, that he could be wounded, then he would have more problems than he needed right now. The news of him breaking the golem had spread pretty quickly, so this news would spread rapidly too. He had a reputation to maintain ya know?

It probably wasn't the best solution, but it would do as Glacius tucked his huge body behind a nearby alcove where he could still watch the pot and all of his gear. His purple-pinkish eyes were staring at the corner that the intruder would come around with intensity; ready to deal with a threat should it appear. He grabbed his chainsword before he retreated behind the structure, so he would be ready for anything.

The figure was some young girl who was wearing a grey, hooded robe over her body. He could see a few locks of purple hair coming out from under the hood as she approached the pot cautiously, almost as if there was something horrible hiding in there. Glacius was wishing right now that he had his helmet on, as its Auto-senses had recorded the faces of most of the students and stored them in the IFF database. Without it, he had no clue who this was, but more than likely it was just some random student that he would have to scare off. However…there was always the minute possibility of it being a thief, as that cloak was suspicious as hell at this time of night.

The woman peered over the edge of the pot, staring in at the armored pieces that had sunk into it. Glacius could see her mouth grimace at the mixture of blood and dirt that began spreading throughout the water, and she turned away to see his helmet sitting on the grass nearby as that had been the first thing the chaos marine cleaned off. And then she started walking towards it.

_Oh hell no, don't you dare place your dirty fingers on my helmet you piece of-_

She picked up the helmet slowly, struggling at first from the weight of it, but she eventually brought it up to eye level with her face. Glacius wanted nothing more than to run in and hack her up right now for touching something so sacred to him, but he kept his killer instinct tucked away as his finger twitched over the chainsword.

Leaving another body wouldn't help at all, but his 'patience' that he had just been talking about with Derf was seriously being tested, as the girl started giggling and put his helmet on over her head, like it was some kind of freakin' toy. Obviously her tiny body was thrown off of balance by the heavy piece of armor, and she fell flat on her bottom, still laughing to herself.

"Dude, I think that's-"

"Quiet Derf!" Glacius hissed in a whisper at his sword that he was holding at the ready. The whole situation was pissing him off, but he wouldn't make a move unless she tried to steal the armor. All of the equipment was powered down, so there was absolutely nothing that she could do with it right now, except make a fool of herself like she was already doing.

_Just go awaaaaaaaay!_

As if hearing his words, the girl took off the helmet while pulling her hood back up, keeping most of her face hidden. Glacius was about to let out a sigh of relief, but that's when things got weird.

The girl was still sitting down with the helmet facing her when she muttered a string of words under her breathe. A normal human would not have heard what was whispered right then, but Glacius picked them up easily as "Until next time, thank you."

And then she kissed it.

What. The. Frak.

Anger built up in him rapidly as he began imagining all the ways he would tear her apart limb from limb for her…intrusion! However, before he could give in to his violent urges, she got up and took off into the darkness, leaving his helmet lying on the ground after it had been molested.

Once Glacius was certain she was out of earshot, he emerged from behind the pillar and stomped over to the helmet. Derf immediately broke into laughter.

"What was this about patience? I saw your finger twitching over that switch, partner! Hahaha!"

"Shut up…" Glacius growled. He grabbed the helmet and slammed it into the pot, rage seething through him once more. Glacius couldn't tell who it was that had just violated his equipment, but Derf had decided against telling his master who it really was. If he just stopped and thought about it for a second, the answer would be pretty obvious, but the chaos marine was not in the thinking mood right now.

"Next time I come across that cloaked freak, I'm gonna disembowel her where she stands," Glacius muttered to himself as he added her to his hit list. The irony was too much for Derf, and he promptly burst into laughter.

* * *

**The next day…**

The semester was drawing to a close at last, and things were proceeding smoothly. Glacius was becoming more adept at using the psychic spells he had learned, but oddly enough no daemons even attempted to break into his mind. He was fairly certain his psychic signature was like a flashlight in a dark room for all kinds of wicked creatures to see, but the room was just empty.

Glacius also worked with Professor Colbert in his lab with the lascannon, demonstrating how it worked and sharing what he knew. The chaos marine was learning a lot about the ancient technology, and knowledge always pleased him. It would take a while longer, but a more portable version of the lascannon would soon be available. It wouldn't be nearly as strong, but it would still be considerably more powerful than those Imperial peashooters called lasguns.

Everything was proceeding nicely, and the only thing left to do was get inside the palace and acquire the wargear that laid inside. He would need to build rapport with the royal family in order to gain access without turning the whole country against him, but he felt he was off to a good start so far after keeping the princess alive and earning his little nickname.

The one thing that was starting to get bothersome though, was how clingy his master had become lately. During the day, she practically wanted him by her side at all times, no exceptions. Of course he broke that silly rule a few times when she wasn't paying attention, as he had business to attend to. She even tried to make him come to the dance with her later that night! Was she kidding? The only time Glacius had free reign was when she was asleep at night, and he had to use his time efficiently as he only had maybe eight hours to get everything done per day.

* * *

It had now been three days since he had defeated Fouquet and enslaved her soul, and the sun was coming down across the academy. It was summer vacation and there were only a couple of students left on campus such as Guiche, Montmorency, and Louise. He had seen Kirche take off with Tabitha to go back home with her, and he was thankful for that, as Kirche had been giving him weird looks lately.

He was outside studying the book late at night when a familiar face showed up.

"Hey Mr. Glacius!" the soft voice that only belonged to Siesta announced as she stumbled upon him. The chaos marine looked up in surprise, as he had not seen her in a while. His helmet was off as well as he was replenishing his strength from food he had stolen from the dining hall.

"Evening," he said blandly as he looked up at her. Siesta was still taken back a bit by how shocking his face was, but the shock subsided as she gave a warm smile.

"I have a little bit of time, so I was wondering…"

"Yes?" Glacius asked slowly, his eyes locked onto her with question.

"Could you show me that book you looking at for a bit? I'm sorry I couldn't meet up last time…" she muttered while looking down, obviously ashamed of not being able to complete her promise. She was ready to be dismissed entirely, but was instead surprised by the familiar.

"Sure. Have a seat," he stated as he flipped to the beginning of the book. This thing was full of chaotic dark energy, so he had to be careful that she didn't look directly into it, otherwise she might go mad and be lost forever.

"Now, listen carefully. Do NOT look at the words themselves, I will read them. Your fragile mind might not be able to handle it. Also, it's-"

Annnnnnd she broke the first rule already. She was leaning over him to read the first page, her curiosity blatantly throwing out any and all safety rules. Glacius sighed and didn't even bother pulling her back, as it was too late.

But nothing happened.

She kept staring into it with that silly smile on her face, as if the thing had absolutely no effect on her. This was very peculiar indeed…

"Hey, some of these words look similar to writings that my great-grandfather made a long time ago," she stated as she looked back up at him. It took a while for her voice to register in his head, as he was wondering how the hell she didn't fry her sanity from looking at the warped writings. Was it this world that was somehow affecting this…or was there something special about her?

"Huh? What was that?" the chaos marine asked after coming back to the real world.

"I recognize some of these writings."

"You know Gothic!?" the chaos marine exclaimed, his face recoiled in shock.

Siesta simply smiled before continuing on. "Well if that's what you call it, then I know a little bit!"

There was way more to this simple little maid than meets the eye. Glacius' natural thirst for knowledge slowly crept up on him.

"Tell me about your great-grandfather…"

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

Louise was storming out of her room and into the school courtyard as she began hunting down her familiar. She clearly told him that he was to stay right outside of her room at night, but that dumb tin can didn't listen! When she woke up to go check on him, he had vanished.

"How late does that dog plan on gallivanting around the school set? Idiot…" Louise grumbled as she marched through the grass towards the sounds of converse.

But then she saw him. Them. She saw her familiar sitting down on the grass talking with that maid girl, Siesta. She was leaning in a little too close for his comfort and smiling a lot, but what struck her most was that her familiar had his helmet removed.

She had never seen him without his helmet on. Louise could see the pale skin contrasted by his jet black hair that was cut down really short. She could make out the huge scars across his young face, and those eyes…those eyes were changing colors or something. Very strange indeed.

It wasn't the fact that he looked odd that upset her. It was the fact he had never taken his helmet off in front of her, and it also looked like he was…smiling?! Emotions twisted around in the young girl as she slowly backed away from the scene, misinterpreting it completely. It was too much for her, and she took off in the opposite direction she came in.

"What? What was all that!? Some sort of late night secret meeting!?" she asked herself in anger as she marched back to her room. "He's a familiar! And there are limits to how a familiar can act!"

She then stopped as a thought crossed her head. "Wait just a minute, why am I sneaking around like this, spying on him? OH GEEZ! THIS IS SO IRRATATING!"

* * *

Guiche was nearby at a table while sweet-talking with Montmorency. He had just given her one of his typical charms and was now leaning in to finish the deal.

"Don't be impatient! Let's have our toast first!" Montmorency exclaimed.

"Hehehe, in your presence I even forgot how a gentlemen ought to behave," Guiche chuckled while looking away.

"LOOK! A naked woman flying in the sky!" Montmorency shouted out of nowhere while pointing up. Guiche couldn't help but fall for the trick, as it was too tempting to resist.

"Where? Where!? Where, where where!?"

His averted eyes were the only distraction she needed as she poured a certain potion into his drink. It was a love potion meant to make the recipient fall in mad love with the first person they set eyes on, and hopefully it would keep Guiche from lusting after other girls constantly.

This was going to be perfect, oh yes.

But then Louise showed up, a look of gloom over her face. The blonde girl jumped a little before questioning her.

"Oh Louise? What are you doing out this late?" she asked.

"Leave me alone. And I'll be taking that!" the pink haired mage shouted as she snatched the drink right out of Guiche's hands and gulped it down completely. Montmorency stared in horror and disbelief at what had just transpired.

"Thanks for the drink," Louise stated as she began walking back inside.

Oh no…

* * *

**Back in Louise's room…**

Glacius busted in, his helmet back on and feeling powerful with the swell of information he had received from Siesta. Apparently she was the descendent of an Imperial Guardsman who arrived on this world a long time ago. That's why she knew Gothic! It still didn't explain her capability of reading the book, but that was a question for another time.

With so much information floating around freely in his mind, he needed to get to the palace and recover the equipment left behind by the Alpha Legionnaire. There could be valuable clues that would tie everything together, and his patience was gone.

"Master! We need to go to the palace immediately! It is of the utmost-"

Why was she looking at him like that? Glacius stopped mid-sentence as he tried to understand what the master had been doing, as her face was glowing red. What the heck was going on?

* * *

**To be continued…**

This will be…ah, entertaining to say the least…hehe…


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry about the long update, semester was way more brutal than I thought it would be. But we're** back**! Lights, camera, **ACTION**!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Familiar of Zero, Warhammer 40,000, or anything related or pertaining to those universes.**

**Chapter 8: Go Into the Water**

"What's wrong with your face?" was all Glacius managed to say, completely confused by this strange behavior that his master was exhibiting.

"My face doesn't matter…" Louise slowly said, almost like she was on the verge of passing out. She then shook her head around as if she had too much to drink as the potion began to take effect.

Glacius approached her with question, his footsteps amplified in the small room. "Wow…sounds like someone got hammered. Where the heck have you been?" the chaos marine asked sarcastically.

"G-Glacius…" Louise muttered as her arms stretched out towards his blue armor. "…Gla..ci…us…"

"Maybe you should stay away from alcohol next time. Your little body can't seem to handle it and-"

"Glacius!" Louise finally exclaimed as she leaped up and grabbed onto his armor, bringing her face almost up to his. She was standing on her bed now and was almost up to his head.

"Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot! Glacius, you're an idiot!" she pouted while lightly punching his chest. "Why did you leave me all alone to be with a horribly common girl like that!?"

What the…

Before Glacius could think of anything to say, Louise threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest armor. "Glacius you're an idiot!" she exclaimed again.

The chaos marine had enough. He wrenched the little girl off of him with ease and demanded an answer for her sudden change in behavior.

"Get off me! What kind of joke is this!?" Glacius bellowed in a perfect mixture of anger and confusion as he held his master up at a distance from him. Louise's response would throw his guard off even further.

"I could never joke about something like this! You're so cruel, I love you so much!" she cried as the chaos marine dropped her on the bed in surprise. Louise wasted no time scrambling back up in an attempt to latch on to the love of her life, but Glacius pushed her back down lightly.

"Wha? Wh-what's wrong with you!?" the chaos marine stammered. He heard the door opening up behind him and he whipped around rapidly to see Montmorency peeking in.

"Oh…I was afraid of that…" she muttered as Louise began bawling at the top of her lungs.

"Afraid of what!? Do you- GAGH!" Glacius screamed as Louise jumped at him again and tugged on his whole body. As he turned back towards his distraught master, Montmorency slipped out and away from the wrath of the traitor marine. This was going to be a long night…

* * *

**The depths of the warp…**

Deep down inside of the Eye of Terror was a daemon world polluted by the twisted warp energies flowing throughout its atmosphere. On this world were spires of obsidian filled with heretic knowledge, but underneath the Planet of the Sorcerers was a new threat to the great Imperium. This threat was in the form of an ancient prophecy that was slowly unfolding, and inside the darkened bunker the few who knew about it monitored the progress of their herald that would bring great victory to Tzeentch and ultimately to Chaos.

"Members of the council," the withered man began, tentacles slashing from his grey flesh. "According to the Exalted One, our operative has successfully prevented the death of the 'princess'."

"Yes…by saving her from that golem, not only did he protect the prophecy, but he has deceived her of his motives. A very efficient exercise," Chaos Sorcerer Alkazeri stated, warp energy crackling off of his blue and gold armor.

"The fight against that golem was one of the best I've seen yet. The thing was the size of a titan, easily," Champion Dignitas of the Black Legion added. "The fact that something like that could be summoned by a mere mortal intrigues me though."

"That is why your forces will be needed, Champion," the withered man standing before the panel exclaimed.

"I see. But what visions does your 'Exalted One' bring us now? We need more information about this strange world…," the servant of Abaddon stated.

"It appears that the operative has stumbled across leftover weapons from a member of Alpha Legion who had visited the world not too long ago, probably cast off by the same power that sent our operative to the void. However, his 'master' has taken some sort of potion that creates strong psychic emotions towards him," the man completed.

"What does that mean? What's the worst case scenario?" Dignitas asked impatiently.

"The operative loses his patience and murders her, breaking the prophecy," another sorcerer of Tzeentch stated, his black beard twisted with mutations from multiple 'gifts'.

"No, the Exalted One will not allow that to transpire. A certain life essence from a 'Spirit of Water' is needed in order to reverse the effects. The operative must take this course of action, for there is no other way," the withered man stated.

The walls themselves seemed to cower in fear as Lord Hexlend finally spoke up, silencing everyone from his massive throne chair. "We will let the operative…interact with this…water spirit…and demonstrate...the power...of CHAOS..."

* * *

**Back at the academy the next day…**

"WE'RE GOING TO THE WATER SPIRIT!" Glacius yelled as he slammed his fist down in the meeting room, putting a huge dent in the table and causing everyone to jump. Except for Louise of course, who was too busy clinging on to her familiar.

"I love you…" Louise muttered happily, filled with joy about how commanding her man was. After hours of trying to pry Louise off of him, the chaos marine simply gave up, deciding to look for another solution instead of brute force and loud voices.

"Um…" Montmorency and Guiche were both unsure about this, but neither of them wanted to be on the wrong side of Louise's familiar. He was already in a bad mood from having to hold off Louise's advances for the past few hours, and they knew what he was capable of. Just because he saved their princess didn't mean he couldn't snap right here.

Glacius looked at the two blonde students, knowing full well that they would not have any objections. If they did, his stare instantly shot them down, pushing all of their hesitations to the brinks of their minds.

"We leave immediately for this…Lagdorian Lake. Grab whatever you're taking and be at the front gate in ten minutes."

Montmorency and Guiche got up without word and departed to gather some supplies for their travel and ready the horses…which just left Glacius and Louise alone…

"That means you too," the chaos warrior growled in disgust, eager to get on the road and get this whole situation sorted out. But the pinkette paid no mind to his words, and he could feel her embrace tighten around him slightly as she closed her eyes in glee.

"This will be so romantic…visiting the lake of love…oh Glacius!" she exhaled. Before she could make a move the chaos marine cut her off.

"Gah, let's just head outside already, the others will be down there soon," he commanded as he departed the room, Louise right behind him as she continued to plea. The entire transit to the courtyard was filled with declarations of Louise's love for him.

Glacius managed to make it outside with his master in tow, but his sanity was slowly eroding away from her erratic mood swing. He wouldn't be able to take much more of this strange behavior, as it was completely alien to him, yet extremely irritating. He had been on the receiving end of barbaric ork shootas, witnessed elder technology that could vaporize thousands in an instant, and done many nefarious deeds in the name of chaos. He always knew what to do in these dire situations, but this…oh man. Before the other two travellers showed up, a familiar face approached the pair. Siesta.

Louise reacted immediately with a faint growl that soon turned into an emotional outburst.

"Oh you really were waiting for another girl!" Louise wailed as she lightly pounded on the chaos marine's armored chest. The poor servant of Tzeentch, he just didn't know what to do at this point!

"What? What do you mean!?" Glacius exclaimed in shock as he raised his arms up in disbelief. What the hell was going on in her head? All Siesta did was walk by; what set her off!? Louise glared at Siesta again who was just standing there with a poker face.

"Glacius I love you so much yet you-you idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot IDIOT!" she screamed again as tears ran down her face. Glacius closed his eyes and slowed his breathing down, trying to calm himself. He reminded himself that by the end of the day, Louise would be back to normal and he could get on with his plans. Nothing would ever get done with her constantly clinging to him, and this behavior was bothersome to say the least. He glanced over at Siesta, who still was just staring at him normally. He had no clue what to say.

"Uhm…." He muttered, completely at a loss of words. He never trained for situations like this.

"You're popular with women," was all she said as she nodded and turned away.

"….yeah?" was all the dark astartes got out, not sure what her response was supposed to mean. Before Louise could retort, Guiche and Montmorency arrived on their horses with their provisions.

"You don't need a horse? It's a long trip, almost to the border of Gallia," Guiche asked as his horse came to a stop before the pair. His brain kicked in almost immediately after asking that question and he realized that no horse would be able to carry something so large.

Glacius gave him a 'really?' look beneath his helmet as he hauled Louise off of him and onto Guiche's horse.

"No! I want to stay with you! I love you Glacius!" she cried out.

"You can't keep up on foot, and I ain't carrying you for however many freakin miles we're going!" the chaos marine shouted back. Sure, he was definitely strong enough to do it, but after getting no sleep for a while and dealing with Louise, the amount of strength it would sap from him could dampen his combat ability noticeably. She didn't like that answer though, as she leapt back on him.

"Damnit this better work…" Glacius growled as he didn't even bother trying to pry her off of him. The group took off in earnest towards the Lagdorian Lake.

* * *

**Lagdorian Lake, later that day…**

He had been jogging alongside the galloping horses for the entire day, and for the first time since entering this realm he could feel fatigue gnawing at his physical body. Despite weighing no more than maybe a little over a hundred pounds at maximum, the tiny girl that he had to carry the whole way had drained his energy.

"Lagdorian Lake is just up ahead, beyond this hill," Montmorency declared as the party came to a stop on a small hill that overlooked the lake.

"Bout time," the chaos marine said, feeling his muscles crave for energy as he set Louise down.

Before he could look back up, Guiche said something and took off towards the lake in glee.

"He is rather sanguine, what part of him is a knight?" Montmorency asked herself. Glacius wanted to add a sarcastic remark to that but he was too tired to think of anything. The group trudged their way over to the lake and noticed Guiche thrashing in the water after a loud splash.

"Help! Save me! Aught!"

"What's this about? Why is the water all the way up here?" Montmorency questioned.

"Hehe…wait what?" Glacius was giggling to himself as he watched Guiche slowly drown and barely heard her remark.

"It looks like the Water Spirit is upset at something. The water level is unusually high, take a look," she responded as she pointed out towards the rest of the lake. Glacius could see the rooftops of the village submerged around him; it looked as if the entire town was underwater.

"I got a bad feeling about this…" the astartes stated clearly, feeling a little disturbed not at the thought of some spirit drowning a whole village out of anger, but of some subconscious feeling that was tugging at his mind and telling him this was all just a bit 'odd'. This was going to complicate things for him, and he didn't like that one bit.

"Same here. Let's wait around here for a bit, the Water Spirit won't come out until after the sun sets," Montmorency replied. Glacius nodded in approval, and continued to snicker at the sight of Guiche struggling to reach the shore that was maybe only ten feet away.

* * *

**Lagdorian Lake, around sunset…**

Montmorency spoke to her familiar, a frog named Robin, and then sent him off into the lake to find the Water Spirit.

"If he can find her, Robin will bring the Water Spirit to us," she said as she stared out over the lake, Guiche and Glacius standing at her side.

"Will she actually come?" Guiche asked.

"She better," Glacius gritted as he clenched his fist, his mechanical voice voxed across the lake. He glanced back and noticed Louise was fast asleep. Thank Tzeentch for that.

"I bid a contract with the spirit when I was a child; if she remembers, she will come," Montmorency said.

"Then all we need is the Tear or whatever, and this little mess will be over," Glacius stated as he slammed a fist into his palm triumphantly. Somehow, he just knew it wouldn't be that easy though…

"Yes, pre-" she was cut off as a fountain of water erupted before them, gushing hundreds of feet into the sky and towering over the group. The fountain was in perfect symmetry, and looked more like some kind of artwork. Guiche gasped and Glacius held his breath, as it really was a breathtaking sight to behold as the light refracted through it.

"It's here! The Water Spirit!" Montmorency proclaimed.

"Oh wow, the memories!" Derf exclaimed out of nowhere.

"What?" Glacius responded as he looked down at his chainsword.

Before the sword could respond, Montmorency began speaking to the towering fountain of water that was still launching upwards from the lake.

"I am Montmorency Margarita, a water mage belonging to a family with whom you have a lasting pact. Spirit, if you remember anything about my blood, please appear to me now and answer me in a way we can recognize!"

Almost instantly, the fountain of water stopped and formed into the body of woman standing on the water and looking down upon the trio. Glacius had his mouth hanging wide open inside of his helmet, as he had come across all kinds of horrors in his universe, but never anything like this.

"I remember," It began, its ethereal voice piercing through to his soul and causing him to shiver just slightly. He was too stunned to say anything to the speaking column of H2O.

"I'm glad you remember, because I have a favor to ask of you!"

"A favor?" it replied, its voice sending shivers through the group.

"I would like very much to have just a small piece of you," Montmorency asked.

"I decline your request."

What. Glacius snapped out of it instantly. Of course this wasn't going to be easy, nothing ever was. The only easy day was yesterday.

"Now hold on just a minute!" the chaos marine barked as he stepped forward with rage, but before Montmorency could say a word, a fountain of water shot up and wrapped around his torso and dragged him hundreds of feet into the air and brought him eye level with the spirit.

"You…your kind are not welcome on this world!" the spirit exclaimed in what could have been a mixture of surprise and fear. Glacius was shocked, as one moment he was on the flat soil, and now he was dangling high above in the sky, held up by nothing but water. He was never too fond of heights, but you do what you gotta do eh?

"What do you mean?" Glacius asked with genuine interest. Your kind?

"Your kind threatened this world millennia ago. You have no place here, all of Halkagenia despises your EXISTENCE!" the piercing scream of the spirit echoed for miles into the surrounding wilderness, striking fear into nature itself. The tightening grip of the water also didn't feel too good. Montmorency herself was on the verge of fainting, as she had never seen the Water Spirit this angry in her entire life.

Glacius was staring into the face of an angry goddess, but his blood was pumping now, all unease gone. He couldn't fear anything, because he was the definition of fear itself. He would do anything to get Louise back to normal, as he was more likely to go mad from her attitude than the possibility of fighting a goddess. He grinned underneath his helmet, the primal desire for bloodlust taking root once more. There was only one way out of this.

"Despise me all you want, but I'll be taking that Tear now," Glacius said slowly in a threatening tone. The water spirit let out a bone-piercing shriek as the water tightened around Glacius and threatened to split him in half.

"YOU'RE WARPED FINGERS WILL NEVER TOUCH ME CORRUPTED ONE!" it screamed in defiance as it enveloped the chaos marine to crush him to a pulp. But Glacius was ready. The water burst apart as psychic energy scattered outwards and vaporized the liquid into steam, leaving nothing but crackling blue and purple lightning as Glacius tumbled downwards to the water 200 feet below him.

Glacius felt a slight jolt of pain from the impact, but quickly regained his bearing and made his way to the shore before the water spirit could react.

"Wha-What are you doing!?" Guiche exclaimed in shock, holding on to the now unconscious Montmorency. This was all just too much for her. Glacius looked back him over his shoulder as he drew his chainsword with a smile underneath his helmet.

"Sometimes you gotta smack someone around for a bit before they listen!" he exclaimed as he flicked the activator switch on his chainsword, roaring it to life once again. He wasn't sure about how he was going to do this, as the Water Spirit was, well, water. Blades don't work that well on them.

He turned back to face towards the Water Spirit, his body in an attack position for whatever she threw at him next. The spirit looked like a terrifying figure that loomed over the lone marine, her colossal form scattering light rays everywhere in some sort of twisted, holy image. The arms began to spread apart, and the ground began to quake with increasing frequency.

"What the-" Guiche was cut off as the sounds of houses collapsing and sinking underneath the murk split the air.

"Get them out of here!" Glacius shouted to Guiche, who would have trouble carrying both of them at once, but it was his chance to prove himself as a worthy knight.

"What!?" the blonde man shouted, unable to hear the chaos marine through the cacophony of the quake.

"I SAID, GET THEM O-" Glacius was cut off as something impacted him and knocked him to the ground face first. The soil was wet now and turned into a thick mud, caking his lenses. He managed to scramble back up and grab his sword, but when he wiped his lenses clean, a terrifying sight stared him directly in the eyes.

It was some kind of monstrous sea serpent, each tooth the size of a child and caked in mud and saliva. Its two dark eyes were pitch black like the void and stared through the lenses and into Glacius' twisted soul. It was sizing him up, deciding how to strike next. The breath permeating from it was worse than the dirtiest of Orks, and Glacius didn't appreciate his acute sense of smell as much anymore.

With a deafening scream, it lunged towards him at breathtaking speed, smashing through a nearby shed where Louise had been sleeping earlier. Glacius managed to roll out of the way as the creature plowed into the space he just occupied. As it lifted up, he was somewhat relieved to notice that Louise had already been moved by Guiche. He then ran at the body of the serpent, his chainsword screaming for violence.

"Watch it!" Derf exclaimed. Glacius was too slow however, and the tail of the creature erupted from the lake and slapped him across the forest with so much force that he knocked down multiple trees before coming to a skidded halt. He could feel blood spilling out of his mouth, but the fight was on, and he forced himself up, feeling the shockwave of fatigue in his muscles.

"Grrrr" he grunted as he began sprinting back towards the lake at top speed. The monster was waiting for him with a sick grin across its face, but this time the chaos marine was ready as he jumped over the low tail swipe that was meant to sever his legs, the trees around him splitting under the force and scattering splinters everywhere.

"ARRGGGGHHHH!" the space marine let out a war cry as he let a doombolt fly out of his off-hand, the purple burst of warp energy spiraling upwards and then slamming into the space below it. It used to be occupied by the serpent, but the beast was quick and managed to evade it, a cloud of steam rising from the super-heated water around the impact area. The steam rose in front of the twisted creature, giving it an even more sinister look as it eyed him hungrily.

"You will fall, dark one," the Water Spirit said calmly as she towered over the battlefield. She waved her hand again, and this time the nearby shorewater began to change from a dark blue color to a sparkling cyan as magic was spread throughout it.

"What the…" Glacius trailed as he saw shapes emerging from the shoreline. About ten, no, the number was increasing rapidly. Hundreds. Hundreds of man-like things made of mud and held together by the magical water began emerging from the shores, marching their way towards him with a sense of urgency. The peculiar thing about them was that the tips of their arms were shaped like spears and hardened to a point, and because they were fused with magic there was a good chance one strike was all it would take to pierce the combat armor.

Glacius had a good vantage of all the forces arrayed against him, as he could see the mudmen in the front ranks charging towards him, the sea serpent behind them and hissing in anticipation for the next strike, and behind them all was the titanic water spirit, staring down upon them all. This fight would certainly be a challenge indeed.

The first of the mudmen arrived at him, and they were all dealt a quick blow from his chainsword that cut them down in a swath. Glacius began advancing into the fray, swinging his weapon and screaming out a warcry. One of the mudmen managed to strike him, which put a bolter-sized dent into his armor and forced him to the ground. He scrambled back up to prevent them from surrounding him while he was down, but he caught a quick glance of the coastline. To his horror, more of the creatures were marching out of the murk, and the serpent was plowing towards him on his left flank.

"Shit!" Glacius shouted as he parried another strike from the moaning creatures that were bent on ending him. He got a good luck at them up close, as the stench alone was overwhelming. They had some man-like facial features, but it was all just so wrong when put together.

"Errgh! C'mon!" he shouted as he decapitated another creature with a clean blow. Soon, right on cue, the serpent was upon him once again and he rolled to the rear, letting it plow through a row of the mudmen. He jabbed his chainsword into the monstrosity and it carried him upwards as it screamed in agony. It then roared back down towards the depths at high speed, forcing the chaos marine to hold on for dear life. It was like some kind of twisted rollercoaster ride, with the only seatbelt being his gauntlets and the embedded chainsword. Once again, the Lyman's Ear implant was keeping him alive and preventing disorientation as the water rushed around him.

Soon the thing burst out of the waves and stopped squirming for a fraction of a second, which was all the time Glacius needed.

"Dodge this," he said as a doombolt erupted from his hand at pointblank range, blasting a gashing wound in the serpent. It howled in pain, a bone-trembling soundwave that carried across the forest. Glacius was blasted clean off from the recoil and showered in the thing's blood and entrails. He slammed back on the muddy bank, and the mudmen converged on him once more.

* * *

**Nearby…**

"Where's Glacius!?" Louise screamed as she tried to run back towards the lake as the sounds of howling monsters echoed through the woods. Guiche was holding her back though, keeping her from doing something she might regret.

"He's by the lake, fighting the Water Spirit!" Guiche exclaimed.

"WHAT!?" Montmorency yelled after she had come to. The three where about a half mile away from the action where Guiche had brought them on the horses, but the sounds of battle could still be heard clearly. "There's no way he can fight her! We need to stop him!"

"We have to!" Louise cried. She was so attached to her familiar, so in love with him due to the love potion that she would do anything to save him.

"It's too dangerous!" Guiche exclaimed, clearly not looking forward to fighting an elemental spirit.

"Well, we can't just let them fight!" Montmorency stated.

"Yea come on! Let's go!" Louise shouted as she stood up, drawing her wand in preparation for battle.

"We'll help too!" a new, yet familiar voice announced. Three heads darted up towards the origin of the voice, and they were all shocked as they stared at two cloaked figures emerging from the woods with their hoods down.

"Kirche? Tabitha!? What are you guys doing here?" Montmorency asked in surprise.

"We were in the area," Tabitha stated matter-of-factly, not ready to divulge private information.

"That's right, now let's go get em'!" Kirche exclaimed with a wink in her eye.

"Let's do it!" Louise responded, as she led her friends back to the shoreline of Lagdorian Lake. She had to fight to save her love!

* * *

**The Shoreline…**

"GRAGH!" Glacius let out as he smashed a mudman with his fist while hacking off its arms with the chainsword. Another one managed to stab him in the abdomen, putting a huge dent in the armor, and Glacius promptly vaporized it and the three behind it with a doombolt, leaving nothing but a steaming crater behind.

"For everyone that falls, two more shall take its place," the Water Spirit proclaimed as it watched the battle.

"SHUT UP!" Glacius screamed through his vox with a hateful tongue as dodged another spiked arm and ripped it off. He used it in conjunction with his chainsword, dual-wielding both weapons as he cut a swath through the mudmen towards the lake shore. The creatures moaned in pain as they were cut down and left immobile on the banks.

The chaos marine risked a look as the sea serpent rose from the waters once again, a gaping hole in its back. It stared at the armored figure before storming towards him once again.

"Done crying eh?" Glacius remarked to himself as he saw the monster barreling towards him in anger. Before he could react to the monster however, more of the mudmen converged on him, moaning for his death. He raised his weapon in anticipation for the first swing, but the mud column was suddenly blasted apart by a burst of wind.

What? Glacius looked around in confusion and before long he spotted the young mages casting spells at the mudmen. Louise, Guiche, Montmorency, along with Kirche and Tabitha! Where had they come from?

"Glacius!" Louise shouted to him. For once since his time on this wretched world, he was actually somewhat glad to see them. He watched as the mages took on the never ending army, with massive area spells. Which meant it was up to him to stop the serpent.

As if to answer him, the creature was now upon, and it wasted no time diving towards him to eviscerate him with its jaws. Glacius rolled once again, but the monster wouldn't be fooled this time as it slammed its jaws right on top of Glacius.

The chaos marine had to act fast. He could feel the saliva and teeth surrounding him, and he quickly planted his feet in between two teeth on the bottom jaw and his hands on the roof of the monster's mouth and pushed outward to avoid being grinded. His knees began to slowly buckle however, as the jaw strength of the serpent was astounding to saw the least.

"I-it won't end like this…" Glacius gritted through his bloodstained teeth. He began to feel his left hand heat up, the runes burning as bright as his determination.

"There you go parter!" Derf yelled as he watched his master's strength rise once more. Glacius was slowly forcing himself straight up again, ignoring the creature's tongue that kept trying to drag him down into the gullet and the nauseating smell. His right hand grabbed the chainsword in a firm grip, and Glacius let out his ultimate warcry.

"FOR CHAOS!" he bellowed as he forced the roaring blade into the roof of the creature's mouth. A howling scream echoed from deep inside the monster, but Glacius paid it no attention, only focusing on driving the blade through the monster's skull. Blood and bits of bone showered him as the blade was slowly pushed up through the thick cranium. The resistance was so great that it was taking a good amount of his strength just to even move the weapon

"ARRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, the voxed voice overpowering the cries of the creature as the weapon finally pierced through the bone. Gray matter began splattering across his armor as the blade scrambled the serpent's brains to a pulp, and within a few moments the creature finally stopped moving, its life drained from it. The armored chaos marine pushed the lifeless upper jaw off of him and stepped out and into the field. A quick look around told him that the battle was all but over. The students had their jaws gaping open at the sight of Glacius striding out and covered in blood and brain matter. The Water Spirit broke the silence.

"This…this was unexpected…" she stated in calm demeanor, glaring down at the fallen astartes. Glacius glared back up at the Water Spirit. His left hand was crackling with warp energy, ready to unleash psychic-borne spells upon the towering spirit.

Glacius was smart though. He knew vaporizing the Water Spirit would probably be a bad move in the long run, along with putting him in a bad place with the locals. He could already see the look of anguish on Montmorency's face, as the idea of him wiping out the symbol of the water mage would not go down too well. He placed his chainsword back onto his hip and then announced his demands.

"Ok, listen here," he began slowly, but with his voice amplified by the vox speakers significantly. "I don't know what all this was about, but I'm willing to forget this happened if you just hand over the Tear to Montmorency over there."

In reality though, Glacius had the pieces of the puzzle solved now. Chaos had invaded this world about six thousand years ago, as it was clear they had been here before, and the Water Spirit's reaction to him was the final proof he needed. It tied in perfectly with the story of some powerful void mage named Brimir who saved the world from great 'catastrophe' during that time, which was no doubt the invasion. That also explained the presence of the daemon that lurked somewhere on the world, along with powerful astartes weapons. But how did a single mage wipe out an entire Chaos Fleet and invasion force? This was the main question that gnawed at him. But it was the Water Spirit's turn to question him now.

"What exactly will you do with this part of me?" the ethereal being asked.

"Just get her back to normal," Glacius stated as he gestured over to Louise, who looked a little pissed from that statement but didn't say anything.

"I accept, but can you promise that the Great Enemy will not return?" she proclaimed as she was on the verge of yielding. She knew that at this point she wouldn't be able to stand up to the combined force of the chaos marine and the mages working together.

"Of course," Glacius lied. Well, technically it wasn't a lie as he planned on taking over the world for himself in the name of Tzeentch, but in a way it could be seen as the return of Chaos. It all depended on the Changer of Ways, and the fate that was laid before him.

"Also, can you stop the water levels from rising?" Kirche shouted out. Glacius was a bit annoyed at her butting in, but he just rolled with it.

"Yeah, that too," he said.

"It will be done," the Spirit responded, and with that the column of water fell apart and formed back up with the lake. Montmorency looked into her hands to see that a small vial of the Water Spirit had somehow arrived there.

"I-I have it!" she announced.

Glacius nodded. "Good, then let's head on back." He glanced back at the lake as he was departing. This Water Spirit knew a ton about the history of what happened here, and the fact that she yielded so soon was always a bit odd. He would have to return for further questions in order to fulfill his appetite for knowledge. But for now, he was tired as hell.

* * *

**To be continued...**

Chaos will always triumph in the end! Muahahahahaha!

Forgive the lack of romance, I'm terrible at it and I have no clue how a chaos marine would even...you know what? Let's not go there!


End file.
